What an interesting thread. And what first came to mind after reading the replies up to now is this song from X years ago...

"What the world needs now is love sweet love. That's the only thing that there's much too little of."

The term "falling in love" could possibly confuse many people because I think most tend to associate that with "romantic love" which would include "physical love and sexual desire" (I'm quoting Webster's so I don't get this wrong)--this love is called Eros. (Yes there are names for these different kinds of love.)

What Matthew is talking about is Agape (ah-ga-pay): "brotherly love; unselfish love of one person for another without sexual implications" (Yup, Webster's again.)

Now if the peoples of the world would recognise this type of love more often, focus on the similarities between people, perhaps there would be a lot less war and fighting and violence...

I never would have thought of agape/love with regards to people at Mudcat, but there is definitely a kinship that develops if you visit enough times, and THAT I've noticed. All the threads and responses (the prayers and well wishes...)regarding Catspaw's illness come readily to mind....At that time I had just officially joined Mudcat and I found myself extremely touched with the sense of community.

How true that places like this, where everyone has some form of common interest (Music--folk, blues, whatever) help people open up perhaps moreso than if in a face to face situation. There is something about the Mudcat that gives a "safe feeling" (though as some have mentioned, there can be the occasional idiot who tries to ruin it all). Definitely more of a safe feeling than newsgroups and public chatrooms...in chatrooms you cringe because someone is bound to send a note to you saying "M/F? age?"--hence scoping out prospects. I've had that happen a number of times and now don't even bother with them anymore.

Annap, you made a good point...that it is easy to set ones shyness aside when communicating in these threads. I have to remind myself to make sure I don't say too much, though there are times when I forget...

This is definitely a place to make some good friends!

Mary