I enjoy reading the "Missed Connections" listings in the "Personals" section of www.craigslist.org. There's always something poetic or sorrowful or romantic or wistful written there. And then there are some posts (in cities like L.A., many) that are, well, tacky at best. The author of "hot girl in an M3 on wilshire blvd - m4w - 24," for example, writes: "HEY, WE BOTH PAST EACH OTHER IN IDENTICAL M3'S TODAY AROUND 2:30PM, THOUGHT YOU WERE REALLY FINE GIRL. LETS MEETS UP FOR A DRINK" (sic, by the way, and that's one of the "Rated G" ones).
But seriously, if you're ever stuck at home with the flu or taking a break from something important to surf the Web, take a look at all the MC listings from the different cities. All across the country, it's the same human drama.
A lonely woman searching for a lost childhood friend. An adoptee, hopeful for contact with biological family members. A new guy in the big city, wishing he'd said something to the girl who kept catching his bashful eye contact across a crowded Starbucks. A haunted man whose only remaining step in the Get Over Her process is to post a self-accusatory and apologetic "what I did wrong and why I now realize I'm a jerk who will rue our breakup 'til the end of this geological age" message. People desperately trying to correct mistakes, salvage relationships, reconnect with their past and beautify their future.
I wonder how many people will actually find what they think they're looking for as a result of these obscure little personal ads. How many of the intended recipients of these messages will actually end up reading them.
Human longing fascinates me. Are we made this way -- designed to yearn? Do even the laziest and most complacent among us find deep within themselves an unfulfilled desire that won't unseat itself?
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