Relationships - what does the word mean to you?

In opening, let me welcome all of you to this "haven" - a place to agree, 
disagree, feel, but most importantly,"just be yourself" - among friends 
whenever you need them the most be it via your modem,
cable connection, ability to pick the phone in real "voice chat", or get 
in the car and meet close up and personal like.

Now that we are in the technological age the term "relationship" has
taken on a whole new dimension. But what exactly does the term mean to you? 
Is there a difference between a relationship that develops from the net 
versus one that develops from what we call "real life?" Is it possible to 
fall in love on the internet and never meet the person you've fallen in 
love with?

What exactly is a relationship? 

There is endless banter by far too many that the people you meet on the
net are lying - are playing games - are doing a whole range of things. 
Personally, I've fallen in love with someone on the net and ironically 
that was the one person i've never met face-to-face. I've met others 
close up and very personal like after various periods of talking to them 
via keyboard and by phone only to find that after our "close encounter" -
there was no basis for a long-term personal relationship for a myriad of 
reasons but in all cases we have stayed friends.

Those who tell me that the majority of the people they meet on the net 
are lying (male or female) - are deceitful and you can add all the 
adjectives you care to, I ask this of them - is it remotely possible that 
they are getting back exactly what they are expecting for I have yet to 
encounter that in the people I have met on the net (leastwise not the ones 
I have decided to stay in touch with). Oh sure, the net can be used as 
a playland (of which I will be the first to admit that's how I started 
but have since stopped some 2+ years ago).

A relationship is a friendship, a love, a caring of one another. It's the 
ability to be who you are openly and honestly. It may be a personal one 
that involves sex or it may be one that is based on a purely "platonic"
caring - not dependant whether or not you actually meet in person. It's knowing that you can reach out and be responded to (and vice versa) 
not based on whether or not you are male or female for as human beings we 
all have basic desires and needs that both sexes share to a greater degree than either will admit to openly.

This will be the first of many in a series about relationships, emotions, 
feelings. You are invited to join the open forum and give your opinion(s). 
We won't all agree. Not every topic will be of interest to us all. However, 
every topic will be thought provoking - and in many cases the message will be 
light and humorous since we can't be serious "all the time".  It will 
span the gamut of all emotions and desires - everything from sex to 
religion, from happiness to sadness, from successes to failures - in short 
- every human emotion that goes into you as a person as well as those required for a relationship.

Disclaimer: the opinions expressed are purely those of the author and do not 
necessarily reflect those of the moderator or other members of "shan's haven" site.

written by: Karl Timmermans
July'2000 - all rights reserved
email: karl@ktimmermans.Com