Unintended consequences

A few days ago, I closed an online account for a service I wasn’t using. What I didn’t realize is that this action would unsubscribe me from some daily blogs I read via email.

Yesterday, I figured out what happened, so I was able to catch up on what I had missed and re-subscribe to those lists.

This experience reminded me of a few things.

One: sometimes we cut one string without realizing all of its connections. Only afterwards do we see what has unintentionally unraveled.

Two: when we engage in something of value, we truly miss it when it’s gone. The more we value it, the more we’ll miss it.

Three: as a loyal reader, I feel a kind of commitment to the writers I follow. I’ve come to know these writers — in a sense — through what I’ve read. And that connection has two parts: the writer ... and the reader. I like knowing that I’m a part of that equation, though I’m just a small part.

* * *

In a time when many are lobbying for the right to be “digitally forgotten” and erased from databases — a right that is already legislated in some countries — we may begin to experience this more often. A delete here may mean a delete there, and there, and there.

Our connections, it seems, are sometimes beyond our awareness.