Stories of Kindness from Around the World

The Gift of Anonymity

I've been described as a social person. It's true. I enjoy meeting people. I love getting together with friends for lunch or a drink at Starbucks and spending hours just talking. I'm usually pretty good at remembering people's names, too. And, most often, I'm comfortable sharing my thoughts and feelings with others, despite the fact that….. I'm male.

For several years now, I've been a faithful Facebook user. When social media emerged in the technology world, I couldn't think of any reason why I would make use of it. I thought it was just for teens and young adults. My boys had MySpace accounts, then switched over to Facebook. My siblings, too, created FB accounts. When my wife launched her FB page, I wondered why. Then, when my mother -- yes, my mother (she's 86) -- created a Facebook page, I decided to give in and join the Facebook family. I have to admit that I enjoy it immensely, as it allows me regular contact with family, friends, and former students, many of whom live in places like Jamaica, the Bahamas, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, England, and Italy.

When I came across KindSpring, my first thought was that I didn't want to get involved in another form of social media. I quickly learned, however, that KindSpring is different. What surprised me most is the anonymity factor. On Facebook, if I don't know the person, I don't engage in conversation with them. The KindSpring community has given me a level of comfort with anonymity I didn't expect. When I comment on someone's story, or when someone comments on mine, I don't know (in most cases) if that person is male or female, young or old, gay or straight, Democrat or Republican, Christian or Muslim, well-educated or not. What I do know is that everyone with whom I've come in contact on KindSpring has made me feel welcome, valued, and appreciated.

I often wonder who you are, where you're from, what you do (or did) for a living, etc., but those things are far less important than making someone new to the community feel so comfortable -- as so many of you have done for me. For this feeling of connectedness, this sense of belonging, I am very grateful.