2005-04-04
I hate both. Frankly, they suck big time. They are nice for the thrills and spills, but that's about it.

Imagine if you really do have a virtual boyfriend/girlfriend. He/she is someone nice to have around. Yet, they are what the word "virtual" means. Imaginary. Often, the impression that they give you can be constructed by them to suit the situation. They can manipulate your feelings for them. Just as the other person is manipulating your impression of him/her, so are you. The mutual manipulation. And that's called a relationship? I scoff at that. An abominable phenomenon, in fact.

If you think hard and long over this, it's really because you need somebody which is why the method is being resorted to. Besides the reason of excitement and mystique, the other reason frankly, is that, let's face it, you can't find anyone in real life. The truth hurts, I know. For Pete's sake, try and get an actual date.

Often at times, this widespread virus is unhealthy as the people involved in these sorts of relationships lose their grasp on reality. They start to live in an imaginary world, and this can lead to mental illnesses if they are not careful. This is because hallucinations start coming into play. It is wise if the people involved can differentiate between real and falsehoods. If they treat this as just a past-time and it adds on to their emotional well-being, it is still alright. A past-time that can enhance your life is not necessarily unhealthy. It can actually be termed a guilty pleasure. After all, everyone has a guilty pleasure, be it visiting prostitutes, smoking, masturbation, etc, so I guess it cannot really be condemned.

Let's now go on to the agonizing process of actually meeting them. To be frank with yourself, if you didn't have such a good impression of the other party, would you meet up with him/her? Probably not. The agonizing realization that the other party does not fit the impression you have of him/her is a reality check. I have heard of stories whereby one party leaves after seeing the physique of the other. Talk about humiliation. This about tops it off. Yet, this sort of encounter leads one to realize that virtual friends are just not who they/or what you, paint them out to be. Get a grip, for goodness sake!

I've even heard of stories, and read from published articles, about the horrific marriages these sorts of couples have. Some were cheated of their money. Some had to work to support the other partner as the he/she was simply bumming around, unable to hold down a job. Some poor women were abused physically and mentally by their husbands and others later realized that they were only deemed by their partners as an endless supply of sex. If all this doesn't make you shudder, I don't know what else will. This is worse than watching horror movies.

So, the moral of the story is- Don't get involved in these sorts of relationships. Otherwise, you'll suffer.