Interpret 101

The thing about reading text, and in particular, online, is that you can never truly know if someone is meaning what they say. Sure, in the written ink-and-paper form, you have the wet smears from tears, the rips in the paper from pressing too hard in anger, the unsteady lines drawn from a shaking hand. But when it's on a screen, you can't tell. It's frustrating. You can misinterpret someone just as easily as they can misinterpret you. You may think they're upset, but they're actually listening to their music really loud and they could be dancing around the house. Just as they could think you're really happy, distracted by the book you're finally beginning work on again, when really you're worried about some issue or another. But that's the virtual world, for you. Masks that we can hide behind because it is so easy. Sometimes it's too easy.

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