The Eagle & Child

Archives: "Progress"

Worlds collide...

I had lunch with Randall today.  It was somewhat surreal (I told him so).  The space between us in cyberspace is infinite, even if we live side-by-side, so I don't often consider the possibility of meeting a blogger face to face (aside from the few bloggers I know personally).  As a result, comments I leave on other blogs are generally quite direct, frank and brutally honest (are those three things all the same?) as I don't worry too much about "what people will think".

Last Sunday my wife wasn't feeling well and was staying home, so I decided to go to Randall's church for something different.  Shortly after we introduced ourselves, Randall suggested we go for coffee some time, and almost immediately I started thinking about all the blogs that we both visit from time to time and the comments I had made there -- what did I say?  how did I say it? was I too harsh?  Two worlds were beginning to collide.  But this isn't a bad thing.

Lunch with Randall was very enjoyable and very encouraging.  I've had difficulty, in my two years or so in this city, finding people with whom I see more or less eye to eye theologically (which inevitably spills over into other areas such as philosophy and politics).  Of course, it's difficult to determine after one meeting if we're on the same page.  But if we're not, we're probably within a few pages of each other, and certainly in the same book (how long can I extend this metaphor?).

 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (I Corinthians 13:12 NIV)

Meeting with Randall at lunch reminded me of something I already knew, but had lost sight of: face to face conversation and relationship are far superior to what we have on the internet.  It sounds a bit corny, but it seems to me that the blogger's/IM-ers experience is somewhat analogous to Paul's (or whoever's) words to the Corinthians.  We read things into to the written word, we never fully grasp the blogger's meaning or the blogger's intent.  But when we actually meet, those written words come alive and meaning is grasped.