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“Cyber
Love”—Only Just a Fantasy
In
the midst of the internet era, online romance has been widely practiced and
shows no sign of going out of fashion. “Cyber love”, if in fact it deserves
such a name, is a kind of fantastic and dramatic thing to those who have
addicted themselves to it. From the brilliant previous essays titled “solicit
articles”, it seems to me that a multitude of us are setting their affections
on so-called “romances”, wishing their online partners could become their
eternal beloved ones. For some time, I had been absorbed and deeply touched by
their stories that I almost compromised my own standpoint. However, I must
forego that sensation, compelling my sense to get the better of emotions.
As was expected,
I ought to present an argument on how absurd that kind of “love” is and how
risky to get whole-heartedly involved in it. But, allowing for those with the
devotion to it, and for fear of being too absolute yet lacking objectivity, I
do not intend to criticize anybody but myself, whom I never feel reluctant or
afraid to tear apart. Now that the debate is no longer like a debate (the
majority of us have transformed their argument into delicate prose—lyrical
debates if I may call them that), in what follows, I am venturing to share
some of my stories.
Hardly can anyone
be more entitled to give a sensible review than those who have experienced a
matter-of-fact online relationship. Last year, shortly after breaking up with
my boyfriend, I met the guy who later became my cyber-lover. He appeared so
tender and thoughtful then, soothing my broken heart while talking in his
habitually intimate, breezy way. I was a dreamy one. At that time, I deemed
myself the luckiest in the whole world. To me, he was a wonderful person:
intelligent, creative and humorous as well.
The admiration
for him, however, did not help but threw dust in my eyes. Only until it was
too late did I realize how much time and energy I had wasted. What is still
more important, something ignoble in his nature became increasingly
manifest—something defying definition but making me displeased. After a series
of unpleasant happenings, I knew it was time for me and him to say goodbye.
It doesn’t bring me much regret in recalling the experience.
The lesson I have learned from it is that we shouldn’t count on any romance on
the internet to be rational or everlasting—just like what we’d better not do
in the real world. But unlike the real world, the internet community enables
people to shroud themselves behind a veil, making those typed word the
reflection of only a fraction of their personalities. You may speak
insincerely to others without being found out-- but vice versa.
Life is not
like a storytelling photoplay. Mostly, nothing can be more truthful or
credible than our own taste. We know through experience that true love cannot
be obtained effortlessly or instantly, then why do we abandon our beliefs and
boundaries, dreaming of an unpredictable “cyber love” in an illusive society?
The superficies don’t always justify the essence—this is where the rub is. |