Am I Real
@just4him (318387)
Green Bay, Wisconsin
March 8, 2017 9:33am CST
One thing my son said to me a while back when we were still living together, was that Internet people aren't real until you meet them face to face. So the question is, am I real?
When I was a kid, I had this unrealistic view of the world and the people around me. I knew I was flesh and blood, but I didn't know if anyone else was. I knew I had thoughts and had them forever, but I don't know about the other person. I also had the idea that the pictures in books of far away places were just that - pictures. They weren't real because I had never seen them.
Every once in a while I still have these ideas, which is why I want to travel and set my mind at peace once and for all that all the places on the map are real. How I reconcile that everyone I meet is as real as me, I don't know.
Now I see I'm not the only one who thinks that way. Every once in a while when I visit a site online I need to check the 'I'm not a robot' box.
Unfortunately, having those thoughts that nobody else was real didn't work when I was working in a call center and only listened to those unattached voices on the other end of the phone yelling at me.
Still I often wonder, and today I'm even wondering about myself. Am I real?
Have you had those thoughts? Or am I the only one. In which case it would confirm the idea that I'm weird.
Thanks for reading. I'm not a robot.
Picture courtesy of Pixabay
22 people like this
23 responses
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Mar 17
People think they can say and do anything they want as no one can see them or confront them if they say something nasty on the internet. You hear of these things all the time. I think you are very real as am I, I'm not a robot either.
2 people like this
I've heard that opinion put forth as well. People don't realize how much nasty hurts.@just4him (318387)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
8 Mar 17
@fishtiger58 That's the best option. One of the reasons I don't spend time on Facebook. Too much nasty going on there.
1 person likes this
@fishtiger58 (29820)
• Momence, Illinois
8 Mar 17
@just4him and many don't even care Valerie, it's a sad situation but not a lot we can do about nastiness except to not participate in it.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (224301)
• Chile
8 Mar 17
I wouldn´t like to date by internet. I would have to watch the person´s eyes before I do any sort of commitment. But I can have friendship talking online.
2 people like this
@just4him (318387)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
8 Mar 17
I tried that once. It didn't work out. I never got a date out of it, just a lot of guys talking stupid. Having friendships is good.
@slayer08 (2377)
• Philippines
8 Mar 17
You're not the only one. Although I have to say that my thoughts about how other people are isn't exactly the same as yours. I know that others are real physically and that they exist even those places I haven't visited yet. But if the question is are they genuine? Or sincere? Well, that's kind of a different story isn't it.
The thing that bugs me though is how people experience things, events, moments.. do they experience them same as I do? I often wonder what it would be like to be in someone else's shoe (not really about empathy). I wonder how another person sees the sky, clouds,. Etc.
1 person likes this
@slayer08 (2377)
• Philippines
8 Mar 17
@just4him yeah something like that. I actually never given it this much thought until now. Whenever I start to wonder about those kinds of things, I just brush it off. Sometimes, I appease myself by either not thinking about it too much or by telling myself "of course it the same thing as mine" but it never really is. I beleive we all experience things differently bo matter how routine our lives are. And that differences is actually quite intriguing.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
8 Mar 17
I don't know if I'm real or not!
Sometimes I do wonder if things are real.. or if this is like a dream state, like The Matrix or something.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
9 Mar 17
@just4him I haven't seen it in ages, it wasn't one of my favorites, but I got the gist of it.
When I was young someone suggested that instead of an afterlife, we just wake up into another dream like place.. so sometimes I wonder..
@just4him (318387)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
9 Mar 17
I never saw the Matrix, but I know what you mean. You're real.
@averygirl72 (38155)
• Philippines
8 Mar 17
The people here in mylot are like just virtual friends not real friends to me
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
8 Mar 17
I guess I believe you are a real person as a Bot can't think on it's own LOL!
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
8 Mar 17
@just4him Thanks, all my parts are real that is a fact!
1 person likes this
@just4him (318387)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
8 Mar 17
@AbbyGreenhill So are mine. I can feel every ache from swimming this morning.
@just4him (318387)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
8 Mar 17
Today was swimming first thing, then I've been working on a puzzle and my novel, now I'm here and still working on my novel. I hope your day has gone well.
@sueznewz2 (10409)
• Alicante, Spain
8 Mar 17
we're real... 
not all digital.. but I know what your saying...
not all digital.. but I know what your saying...1 person likes this
@WriterAI (5373)
• Bulgaria
8 Mar 17
If you aren't a robot or an Internet bot, you are real. The rest is your imagination. And of course be vigilant with the unknown people in reality and on the Internet too where it is said about money. Don't give your money to the people that you are not known with.
1 person likes this
@darpandahiya (39)
•
31 May 17
That is too deep a thought Valerie. There was no voice on the other side of the phone, when you were in the call center. It was just the diaphragm in the speakers in the headphones.
You ain't a robot. That's for sure. But why do you think it's bad to be a robot?
Ask a robot, whether it would like to become a human or not.
You will know.
SLIB (So Let It Be)
@just4him (318387)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
1 Jun 17
Now that's an interesting thought - ask a robot about being human. Next time I see a robot I'll ask it if it would like to be human.
@Juliaacv (51959)
• Canada
8 Mar 17
The internet is a mysterious place where people can come across as something other then what they truly are. But for the most part, I am me, just me, just like this, no robot, just a plain Jane lady who likes to have a good laugh and read some interesting discussions.
1 person likes this
@hostessman (11871)
• Tucson, Arizona
9 Mar 17
you are alway real in your own world, when you get out of your world then I am not sure
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
9 Mar 17
lol, funny way of thinking of it. but at the same time he has a point, sometimes people prentend or present themselves differently online than they do in person.
@responsiveme (22926)
• India
9 Mar 17
You are real and we share real discussions aided by technology:)That doesn't make us robots. But I know what you mean and it would be nice to meet.
