Monday, June 15, 2009

How Do YOU Feel?

Over the weekend, I discovered a wonderful website called We Feel Fine.

The program used by this website scans blog posts constantly, searching specifically for the words "feel" or "feels". It then pulls that sentence along with any associated pics, and grabs all the info it can: age, sex, place, and even weather. As much as it seems a bit 1984, what it allows you to do is search through feelings worldwide, from as recently as a few hours ago. It uses a variety of displays to make it fun and interactive, and oddly compelling. You can even click on any given quote to visit that person's blog if you're interested.

What are people in Montreal feeling right now? What is the prevalent feeling worldwide today? You can search by feelings themselves, opening doors to real people and how they're feeling blessed, beautiful, or inspired. It's a unique way to connect at a heart level with strangers, to remind us how connected we always really are. It made me think of how many people ask how we feel , what we're thinking, and how often we shrug this off with small and defensive answers.

Twenty-five minutes ago, a 23 year old from Warwick, NY, posted "I love the feeling of inhaling cold air conditioned air", even though it seems it was cloudy when they posted. I would gladly take that information in the place of so many of the worn things we tell one another.

In our society of diminished emotional bonds and increased superficiality, it seems a blessing to have access to these moments of intimacy, as much as it is wonderful to know that these feelings have been shared, and are not sitting stagnant and ignored. As a result, the boundaries between "you" and "I" seem lesser today, and I am relieved to know that four hours ago, someone, somewhere, was "feeling better about myself".