I’m ashamed to admit it, but even though I was a very empathetic kid, I would probably be a terrible person as an adult were it not for the internet. I lucked out by having a best friend who wasn’t scared to have a blunt, honest conversation with me about some of my shitty views, but it was like planting a…not even a seed bc it was such a drastic slap in the face, but like a tree. And it was the internet that helped me learn more and explore ideas and metaphorically care for and nurture and protect that tree and keep it growing. Without the internet, the tree would have died. I had people actively trying to cut the tree down and poison the roots at every turn.

Today, it’s a good tree. I’ve done a lot of growing as a person for the better, and the internet had a big hand in that.