Friendships Since I Came Here

Since moving to Hatena Blog, I have gradually formed new friendships while carrying traces of those I once had elsewhere.
Some connections have deepened through quiet encouragement, while others have faded through differences that could not be bridged.
This is a reflection on what it means to build—and sometimes let go of—relationships in a digital space.

It has been more than six months since I moved to Hatena Blog, and I am gradually realizing how different it feels from Goo Blog, where I used to write.

Goo Blog has already disappeared, and now there is no way to look back and recall what kind of place it really was.

Even so, many of us who moved from there have remained connected as friends, and little by little, I have also made new ones.

There are many recommended blogs, and when I come across something that genuinely interests me, I read it carefully. If it resonates with me, I register the writer as a friend and add them to my circle.

Perhaps because there are many younger bloggers here, I do sense a difference in atmosphere—but that is only natural.

 

Blog friends are something to be truly grateful for.
They read my daily posts and sometimes leave comments that show they understand me even better than I understand myself.

They are also considerate about my physical condition and how things are going at work. At such times, I feel deep gratitude.

Yesterday, I was surprised to receive a sudden message from a blog friend with whom I had parted ways some time ago.

Here is an article from that time.

    

Differences in Ways of Thinking, and Letting Go
— A Digitalized Society

The other day, I left a comment on an entry written by a blog friend who had appeared several times in this blog before. In response, I was harshly criticized.

It was not quite a denial of my character, but rather sharp words suggesting that the world I had lived in was different from theirs, and that my approach to blogging was naïve. The language was pointed enough to leave me deeply discouraged.

What I write on this blog is entirely my own choice. That freedom is precisely what defines this space. I also do not expect, nor can I know, what readers think about what I write, or how they should feel about it.

Even so, being attacked is painful and disappointing. And this was not the first time—it was the second.

Understanding one another is difficult. No two people grow up in exactly the same environment. Trying to bridge that gap can sometimes be meaningful, even enjoyable. But when one is abruptly dismissed, all that remains is a sense of loss.

Perhaps, being someone who values solitude, they disliked the fact that I occasionally left comments on their blog. I never intended to fully explain myself or to be understood, but after being spoken to in such a way, I decided to let it go and bring our interaction to an end.

I never imagined I would encounter the word resignation—or perhaps acceptance—in a place like this.

Rather than stopping this blog altogether…

 

Back then as well, it was encouragement from blog friends that gave me the motivation to keep writing. Looking back, I am glad I did not stop.

At one point, I felt as though I was being tightly controlled, but with the closure of Goo Blog, I now feel as if I am walking a “second life” here on Hatena Blog.

 

If one underestimates the online world simply because it is virtual, it is easy to get hurt unexpectedly, so caution is necessary.

Whether I contact that person again depends on whether I ever feel like reading their blog. At the moment, I do not.

For now, I am surrounded each day by friends I feel close to, and I spend my days in a fairly good and enjoyable state of mind.