Is Internet the panacea?

We all seek help. In fact, we all NEED help -no matter how positive we are or how seasoned. Every now and then we are stumped; faced with an unfamiliar situation that makes us unhappy – either it is because we let us ourselves down or someone else has; someone or something touched a memory that we have tried hard to overcome. Sometimes it is just because someone has been downright mean (including us). Guilt, anger, envy, anything really can trigger the feeling of “what the hell am I supposed to do now?!”

Our first go-to friend in most such cases – is the internet. Maybe because that is the easiest, most anonymous (so we think, at least), perhaps fastest thing to do. Sometimes, if we are lucky, we get exactly the answers that we had been seeking. But then how often does that happen?

What the internet really provides us, without fail and on all occasions is PERSPECTIVE. We get to know two very important things within just about two minutes.

  1. We are not alone. There are a great many who have had similar experiences and have somehow figured a way out.
  2. We are unique. No one person is or has gone through the exact same situation as us.

The best picture of the Internet is perhaps, that of a reassuring friend – who nods her head no matter what we tell her, smiles back and offers comfort “You know honey, ….”. And we come back feeling light and relieved; with a feeling of having been understood and with a feeling of having understood our own situation and others’ as well. She has given us the perspective and wisdom that we so lacked in an unfamiliar, albeit very personal situation. We are all aware of the “what” in our life. Mostly though we are at a loss for the “why”. And that is where she helps us most. When we put the “what” and the “why” together, slowly, we can chisel away at the “how” – How do I change this situation? And we do eventually, in our own way.

So is Internet the panacea? Probably not. But we should still seek her for getting the choicest ingredients to make our own concoction.

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