I have lived on this earth a fair amount of time, and I have had many friends during that time. Some I miss greatly, and others I am grateful I have had the honor of knowing them. But my friends are very important to me, and once I consider you a friend, it is very hard to change my mind. I am loyal to my friends no matter what, and would do almost anything to help them in a time of need. A new dimension of friendships has sprung up through the Internet. I have made several friends on IRC (internet relay chat) and lost almost as many. Some, it is no loss. And were any of those people to wander onto this page, I am certain they would know who they are. But I have lost some very good friends on irc because of small hateful people, who get pleasure out of hurting other people. They know who they are, too. Unlike real life friendships, irc ones tend to be formed faster and in some cases, more intense. I believe this is due to the fact that there are no external distractions.
I learn something from everyone I meet and not all of it is always positive. For every person who has intentionally hurt me, either in rl or irc, there are many more who love me and support me as I do them. For each friend I lose, I get another in return. This is a big world, made smaller through the Internet. I hope all people think twice before they intentionally hurt another person. You never know when you may need a friend.
Thanks for listening to me... and now you may continue. I'm off my soapbox for the moment.