Danger
With all I’ve posted thus far about meeting someone online and then meeting them in person, we do still need to consider the danger that exists in our world today. Just this weekend, I read about a woman meeting a man online and taking it further by meeting in person. In this instance, as the article read, there was alcohol and drugs involved, and an argument soon enraged the couple. This story had a tragic ending as the man violently took the woman’s life!
In another article I read, a 76-year-old man posted an ad for a puppy he was selling. Someone reached out to him, and an agreement was made between the two parties to meet at a restaurant. There, they would exchange the money for the puppy. Sadly, the individual shot the man, leaving him for dead, and fled with the puppy!
When we decided to take our friendship outside of the “box” (our computers) and meet “in the real world,” we did so after MANY years of friendship. We knew each other because we shared intimate details of our lives. We shared our deepest, darkest secrets and fears. Every trial we faced was shared, and our friends rallied around us to offer support and encouragement. Happiness and good times were shared also through the years. But my point is the YEARS of our friendship ensured our safety when we finally met in person.
Be wary of those you meet online, yes! You can never be too careful here. But also know that not everyone on the internet is out to get you or cause you harm. There are good, honest people out there, just like my friends and I.