This past summer, I sat around a table visiting with friends from high school. I made the offhand comment that I was becoming a cynic, and they chuckled. The general consensus was that I had pretty much always been a cynic, I was just no longer in denial.
I can't say that has changed completely, but I have to say I have a different perspective. The Occupy mvement has had a lot to do with it; as the movement has gone forward, a lot of activists have gotten together to work on addressing a lot of their social concerns directly. Many of the laws broken in the various Occupy camps were laws specifically written to punish the homeless. And with Christmas coming on, a lot of the resources donated to the movement are being used to help the homeless in the communities.
But more to the point, I have connected with the Twitter feeds of various groups to help the homeless, and I am overwhelmed by what I am seeing. Twitter is causing a greater connectedness between groups, and giving supporters a firsthand look at what is going on. Not only that, but news articles are tweeted, giving even more information and opportunity to get involved.
I imagine I will always be a cynic. But Twitter has done a good job helping to connect me with a larger community, of people who DO care, who are actively trying to make a difference in the world around them.
And while that's not the best gift anyone could give, it certainly ranks up there.
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