Over the course of being on WordPress, I’ve met many fantastic people who are no longer around. Regardless of the circumstances, these people have generally had a positive effect on me. I haven’t always agreed with them, but I valued what they had to say.
It’s tough missing people who are no longer around. It’s tougher when things end on a disagreement.
Last year around this time the WordPress community lost Paul Curran (the news was announced here and here). I never wrote much about it at the time because I was in shock. The last I interacted with him, I was trying to clear up a misunderstanding we had. I thought I had time to clean up my mess. I was wrong.
When tragedies happen, it makes me remember people who I’ve known. After the tragedy in Las Vegas, Paul is someone I would have chatted with. He was very thoughtful, and he felt strongly about what he had to say. He would have had something profound to say about this tragedy. I wish I knew him well enough to be able to imagine what it would have been. The only thing I can say for sure is that I would have tossed ideas around with him like I would have with anyone I met in law school.
I can’t say that for everyone I’ve ever met, but I’ve met a lot of them here on WordPress. Too many others have gone since I’ve been here. People go silent, and I worry for them. Despite the anonymity of the Internet, these people are more than the ones and zeros they broadcast to my machine. My interactions with people are just a shadow of that human potential. I feel real bad when I can’t keep up with everyone I’ve met online because of that.
With all the spread of the usual stuff surrounding a tragedy, I can’t help but notice that too often what we have gets ignored in the process. Although people are missing, I still remember them. That has to count for something. Regardless of who you are or might be, you can have a positive effect on people. It might not get attention every day, but it is crucial to how people get through their day. To spread a drop of happiness to others is priceless.
I miss Paul and everyone else that has come and gone in my life.
Amusing Nonsense 