For the past couple of weeks I have been holding some Zoom chats for whomever wanted to come in and just talk to someone. It didn’t have to be on anything gin particular and could be about whatever the person wanted to talk about.
I had a few calls with some great people from around the world and it reminded me of the dial-up days when I really thought it was fascinating that I was talking to someone in a chat room from half a world today. That feeling I got when I had amazement at the wonders of technology. I relived that each time I talk to someone in far off places like Nepal, Saudi Arabia, India, Israel, and even the west coast of the U.S.
While I have been out a few times in order to seek essentials, I have played it safe and stayed indoors for the most part keeping that social distancing practice going. Will I admit to perfect adherence? No. I can’t. Matter of fact I went to the gym a couple times and I was one of maybe four people there. That practice has ceased as of last week.
After reflecting on how one careless person, if sick, does not wipe down the machinery they are using (it happens a lot from what I have seen and heard) I didn’t want to take that risk, especially when dealing with members of my family (mother, father, and sister).
The chats have been great. Talking about programming and hobbies, people asking me all sorts of questions about where I live and who I am, what I do, and even some questions about American life and politics (asking about the current occupant in Washington D.C. which I answer as best I can from my point of view but that’s an opinion of what I see).
I only had one instance of a call with someone from Israel where someone came into the chat and tried to be a troll. There is a fine art to being a troll, I should know. I used to be one. The attempt was pathetic and just sad to be honest. They should have probably stuck with their day job to say the least.
I won't go into specifics, but it was a horrible troll job. It was an even worse job if saying what the female said to me in the chat was trying to hurt me or my feelings in some way because it didn't work at all. That kind of childish thing only solicited an eye roll and a quick scoff and soon I was focus on one of many things I have preoccupying my time.
I’ll keep holding these chats but I am going to think of muring up the experience a little bit and I am used to this kind of thing happening. Back in the days of dial-up and chat rooms it happened with more frequency and the trolls back then were far more superior than the feeble attempt by the one I ran into last night.
I’ve been invited to a lot of places and learned a lot of things with these chats. I hope that through this crisis worldwide (now state-side here in the US) more people jump in and just talk about things like programming and hobbies, things people would talk about face-to-face in a café or diner. Just everyday things, anything that was on their minds.
If there is one thing positive about this whole ordeal many of us are going through with this pandemic it’s that all people want to do is reach out, have a chat with another human being, and learn. Those things I have been doing and the learning has been the best part.
Learning about other people’s cultures and where they live.Learning about their work. I hope it has brought them a little bit of positive in an otherwise gloomy world we have been dealing with since the pandemic broke.
We’re all in this together. Nature has shown us that it is sick and tired of dealing with our egocentric minds. Let’s be kinder to the Earth and definitely let’s reach out and be kinder to our fellow human beings as well.