Using the Interwebs for Good

I heard about the It Gets Better Project several weeks ago through the "Savage Love" Podcast, which I listen to now and again. I wanted to write a post about it and how heartening it was to hear about the positive use of the internet (when there are so many cruel and hurtful ways it can be utilized), but I couldn't really get it into words. There was a short interview with Dan Savage, who set up the It Gets Better Project on YouTube in the Times today, so I'm posting that in lieu of coming up with some original thoughts. Haven't we all had a time of hurt/pain/trauma/crisis in our lives when someone shared with us that they had been there and that it would be ok and it would get better? And weren't we grateful for that? It can be so powerful to have someone comfort you and show compassion and empathy in this way, and I think that's why the concept of this YouTube channel really strikes a chord with me. Somewhat related, there's a quote that I saw once at the Bone Marrow Drive at W&M, it was in the PowerPoint presentation that was continuously playing in the UC on drive day, and it was something along the lines of everyone else is on a journey just as difficult as your own.* I fail to show empathy and compassion far too frequently, and I pretend to myself it's out of some sort of self-preservation. I try (I swear, I do) to think of this little paraphrased quote to remember that we get much farther in life and are more greatly fulfilled by sharing our struggles with one another. *if anyone can identify this quote that would be amazing as you'd be putting a 7 year old mystery to bed for me!