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A Pixelated Mind

Atlas Shrugged
Tagged

Byte-sized collusions

Background – In high school, I had lots of people I considered good friends who more or less vanished after graduation. Thanks to the arrival of Myspace, I somehow got back in touch with a few people I missed from that era.

Situation – Recently, I ran into an old friend (a sister of a friend, really), who apparently really missed me. Here are some legitimate quotes: ” gosh i miss u we should hang out sometime,” ”
omg i can’t believe this it’s been so long!!! I think of u often” and worst of all, “Merry Christmas” (I know! The bitch!)

The thing is, I started talking to her again almost eight months ago and we still haven’t hung out. I ran into her today at the computer lab and we reiterated how we both wanted to ‘hang out sometime.’ At this point, it’s pretty obvious to both of us that we’re never going to hang out. So every time we say we’re going to hang out, we’re both lying.

Connection – Some time ago, I wrote about how I loved byte-sized conversations. I loved them because they were so simple and yet so honest. They were just enough to let the other person know you didn’t absolutely want to end their mortal existence and nothing more. They were so true in how little they meant.

Thought – So is this. To me, the fact that both people are lying and well aware of it is the greatest level of honesty you can have. You both weave this false world together and rely on your mutual conscious ignorance of the situation to keep the world afloat. The truth becomes a mutual blind spot.

Conclusion – A lot of people find these lies to be terrible remnants of polite conversation. A remainder in a long equation that casts doubt into the worth of the original equation. I find it to be the greatest natural extension of the principle of charity.

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Background – In high school, I had lots of people I considered good friends who more or less vanished after graduation. Thanks to the arrival of Myspace, I somehow got back in touch with a few people I missed from that era. Situation – Recently, I ran into an old friend (a sister of a…