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Yvonne Belisle
August 10th, 2002, 10:50 PM
Many times I hear people complain that this friend or that just forwards them stuff. Well sometimes I know that I do it because the joke made me laugh and I want to share that laughter with those that are important to me. It is hard to think of witty things to say sometimes and sometimes we don't really have anything to say but we were thinking of someone and want to connect with them. Forwards let us do that. The following was sent to me and on reading it all the way threw I think it is very right and has an important message to share with us all.


Why we forward jokes, this explains it....



A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them. After a while, they came to a high, white stonewall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like Mother of Pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?" "This is Heaven, sir," the man answered. "Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked. "Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up. " The man gestured, and the gate began to open. "Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets." The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog. After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road, which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed.

There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book. “Excuse me!" he called to the reader. "Do you have any water?"
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there." The man pointed to a place that couldn't be seen from outside the gate. "Come on in." "How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog. "There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them.

"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked. "This is Heaven," was the answer. "Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said that was Heaven, too."
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold! ! street and pearly gates? Nope. That's Hell." "Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?" "No. I can see how you might think so, but we're just happy that they screen out the folks who'll leave their best friends behind."

Soooo...

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word, maybe this could explain:

When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward jokes. When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward jokes.

When you have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know how, you forward jokes. And to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get? A forwarded joke.

So my friend, next time if you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you

Old Witch
August 11th, 2002, 12:07 AM
Nice point..........

Myst
August 11th, 2002, 12:18 AM
The problem with that is the only people who have ever forwarded jokes to me were barely acquaintances who barely talked to me and I was just on their list. Meanwhile those who I care about and who care about me never send me jokes.

Hm. Maybe I just hang around weird people :D

Yvonne Belisle
August 11th, 2002, 12:34 AM
Could be Myst could be. :) However that doesn't make them bad people I think wierd people are great. Must be because I am wierd too.

MammaStar
August 11th, 2002, 12:39 AM
can i be part of the weird club too?

Dawn
August 11th, 2002, 12:41 AM
Thank you !

Witchy Cowgirl
August 11th, 2002, 01:10 AM
I like it. I used to get very ill with my sister-in-law when she was on line cause she NEVER sent any "real" messages, but she forwarded me something almost EVERY day. Guess she thought of me more than I realized.:)

Yvonne Belisle
August 11th, 2002, 01:24 AM
My mother in law and I try to connect dailly but even when we can't there is at least one smile in my box from her and one in hers from me. :)

Emaleth
August 11th, 2002, 05:44 AM
I liked that, I have to forward this to all my friends;)

Blessed Be

Desert_Shadow
August 11th, 2002, 12:39 PM
:p Thanks Yvonne. It does make one think. I need to email some friends whoi have been on my mind lately.

Mithrea
August 11th, 2002, 01:20 PM
Originally posted by Myst
The problem with that is the only people who have ever forwarded jokes to me were barely acquaintances who barely talked to me and I was just on their list. Meanwhile those who I care about and who care about me never send me jokes.

Hm. Maybe I just hang around weird people :D

Yep this is what happens to me too. There are three people that I barely know that constantly send me crap. They put me on their group at some point and though we never speak I am constantly getting everything they send to everyone. There is some funny stuff but they never even bother to remember that they've already sent this joke out before. What's worse is that they know each other. So when one gets ahold of it, then I get the same one three times, despite my complaints. And they all three send me sappy stuff about the wonder of God's love too :rolleyes: What's even worse is that they are all AOL people and half the time they send me their messages as attachments that won't open.

Meanwhile the people I know *do* have witty things to say to me and never send me that stuff. I always have stuff to share with the people I know and care about and that's why we are friends.

I don't think it makes them bad people Yvonne but I do think it make them unthinking and rude. If someone sends me a joke about English teachers, then I *might* forward it to my English teacher friends. If someone sends me a programmer joke, then I'll send it to my Dad and a couple others. But I don't forward every single thing I get to everyone I know. I care enough about my friends to not stuff their Inbox with stuff they won't appreciate. :) I just don't see how it's supposed to make me feel special that they put me on a list some time and just forward it to everyone on that list. It would make me feel special if they knew me well enough to only send me the ones that would make *me* laugh. If they paid enough attention to what I say and do to get that hey, I'm pagan and I don't want to hear about how this little girl met Jesus in a dream and she was then able to heal her dying Grandma, then I would feel special.

Hm. I kind of went off there. Sorry :D

Witchy Cowgirl
August 11th, 2002, 01:32 PM
Originally posted by Mithrea
If someone sends me a joke about English teachers, then I *might* forward it to my English teacher friends. If someone sends me a programmer joke, then I'll send it to my Dad and a couple others. But I don't forward every single thing I get to everyone I know. I care enough about my friends to not stuff their Inbox with stuff they won't appreciate. :) I just don't see how it's supposed to make me feel special that they put me on a list some time and just forward it to everyone on that list. It would make me feel special if they knew me well enough to only send me the ones that would make *me* laugh. If they paid enough attention to what I say and do to get that hey, I'm pagan and I don't want to hear about how this little girl met Jesus in a dream and she was then able to heal her dying Grandma, then I would feel special.
Hm. I kind of went off there. Sorry :D

I don't think the point is about people who put us on a list and then just send everything they get. That is irratiating as I'm sure my spelling is too.

But about those folks like you Mithrea, who take the time to forward what the person is interested in and not the other stuff.

Yvonne Belisle
August 11th, 2002, 01:45 PM
I only send some jokes out and only to those i think would like them the most. Sometimes it is something I found on the net and wanted to share sometimes it is something someone sent me but I don't have a list I send to each person is hand picked for the joke from the people on my contact list and when I don't get anything I think someone would like they don't get sent anything. :)

flar7
August 12th, 2002, 04:02 AM
usually when I forward something, I edit it a little. Get rid of all
the extra addresses(that work, but polite.) also wipe off the
dang (FW:) that it puts there.

Mithrea
August 12th, 2002, 04:13 AM
Now see THAT is thoughtful Flar! That would make me feel special. :)


Apparently I just need to vent :)

Witchy Cowgirl
August 12th, 2002, 10:44 PM
Originally posted by flar7
usually when I forward something, I edit it a little. Get rid of all
the extra addresses(that work, but polite.) also wipe off the
dang (FW:) that it puts there.

I didn't know you could do all that till my brother pointed it out to me.:D Now I do that too.

Rubi Waters
August 12th, 2002, 11:43 PM
Originally posted by flar7
usually when I forward something, I edit it a little. Get rid of all
the extra addresses(that work, but polite.) also wipe off the
dang (FW:) that it puts there.
I always do that too!! I usually personalize it a bit