I think one of the most popular of all entertainments has become the Internet. People rush home from their jobs. Students jump on their bikes at school and weave through traffic to get home to their computers. Executive businessmen sneak a peak while conquering the big business world. People are neglecting their families, cheating their jobs, and ruining their marriages for this type of entertainment.
When I first signed onto the Internet, it was my goal to witness to others about Jesus Christ. I loved to write and had written several Christian Mysteries that sat in a container in my closet after only being read by friends and family. I decided to call myself "Godwriter". That was my screen name. I wanted to spread the word of God and be a great witness for my Lord. I was never more shocked to find how needy people were. I ended up doing more counseling than witnessing, although I was able to share the Gospel with them and find words from the Bible to help them with their situations. The problem was most of them had their situations by being on the Internet.
People are becoming hooked on the Internet everyday. The problem that I have come across and a problem which also effected my own life, was that the Internet causes more harm for a lot of people than good. It can go either way, but unless you are strong enough to control it, stay away from it. There are so many ways it can make or break a person. I have encountered both ends of that crazy line and I can tell you, if you have the Internet, please monitor your children, do not let it take over your life. If it is your career, then work when on it when you need to, but do not neglect your children by spending too much time on it.
One of the biggest problems I ran across was lonely men and women seeking other lonely men and women. The problem is, most of them should not have been lonely. The majority of them were married, but just not happily. I talked to so many people of all ages who was planning to leave their husbands or wives for someone they met on the Internet. They ended up getting hurt when they finally met in person. Most people who chat on the Internet for hours and hours are people who are either lonely or a pervert. If you are online to do your work or research something, that is entirely different. The problem is that there is too much scum and craziness in this world to trust anyone on the Internet. I can tell you from my own experience that you cannot always trust the person you chat with, even if you have chatted with them for a year.
The Internet has empowered so many people in a negative way, but I know it has also impacted people in a positive way. You have to learn to determine the difference. That is one of the biggest problems on the Internet, knowing who to trust and not to trust. Most people do not have the ability to determine whether a person can be trusted or not. There have to be steps to take if you are planning on becoming more than just chat room buddies. You should never meet someone alone in a secluded place. If you plan to meet them, make sure you take someone with you and meet where there are plenty of people. Even that does not guarantee your safety. Even then they can gain your trust and wait until you are alone with them. Make sure you get to know that person for months before you trust them.
I cannot tell you how many reports of abuse, rape, and murder my late husband use to come home and tell me about that started with the Internet. A young girl thought she was talking to a boy her same age and got so involved on the Internet that she made a date to meet this guy. They had never spoken on the phone or even exchanged pictures, which is no guarantee either, but she trusted him solely on the words typed on the screen. This man raped her and beat her, leaving her to die in the woods. She managed to crawl to the side of the road and get the attention of a passing motorist. Her life will never be the same.
A woman chatted with a man for a whole year and was only friends. She thought she could trust him and he promised her safety from the abuse she was getting at home. He offered her to come up north where he lived and he would give her a place and keep her safe. She traveled all the way for over 22 hours without resting only to be told that the place he had thought she could stay had fallen through, so they would have get a motel for the night. He promised to pay her back in the morning. She spends all of her money for a motel and ends up being raped and left in a strange town with no money to get back home. This changed her whole life and left her stuck in a strange state with no friends or family to call for help. It took her days to even find a way to get back on the road. It could have taken her months if a friend from her home had not decided to help her. She never called the police because she was ashamed for being so stupid. How many other women had this man done this to?
How many lives have been destroyed just by getting on the Internet? I know just from talking to hundreds of people and trying to help them piece their lives back together that the number is countless. I bet if we did a worldwide survey and if everyone was honest, that there would be more tragedies and broken homes than success stories. This type of entertainment costs a very high price. It is sad that this is how the world is becoming and that innocent people are dying just because there is such a need for the Internet now.