Road Warrior: Spreading the cement of brotherly love

On a daily basis, I'm able to take a peak at the lives of people I've met once in life, if at all, that I share some common bond with. We will share jokes, political articles, health information or anything else that has touched our lives that others may find interesting. Many of these thoughts we disagree on, and end up in "Facebook wars" by shooting comments back and forth for days, often arguing with people so removed from our own network that we'll never meet them (nor would we care to in many cases). Some thoughts and comments, however, introduce a new common bond (vegan diet, Freemasonry, Iron Maiden, whatever it may be) that allow us to connect and make a new "friend" with somebody on the other side of the world!

I've had the great opportunity to gain many colleagues in my travels, and now I try to also personally meet with "friends" that I've made along my Facebook journey. Some people, in particular however, have the ability to touch our lives like a lifelong friend. Such is the case with my friend, whose daughter is now fighting for her life. He was introduced as a customer of mine, but we quickly established a friendship not unlike many from my childhood. A great guy that didn't treat me as "just another vendor" and worked hard to extend the hand of friendship at a time when I really needed it. Now his family needs the hand, and through a simple update on my Facebook page, dozens of people whom he would never meet, are thinking about his baby girl and praying for her quick recovery.

Road warriors can portray a life that people dream of. We have the ability to travel and see parts of the world we've never thought possible, all without draining our own bank account. What is rarely seen is the mental and physical anguish of these travels, when it takes us away from our friends and family. This pain can be diluted by making new friends across the world, filling our hearts with the friendship and brotherhood of otherwise strangers. Those who travel, be thankful for this ability. Think about how your actions impact the lives of people all over the world, and be grateful for the friendships that you've made.

"Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together."
-- Brother and President Woodrow Wilson

Robert Jackson is a systems engineer with Camiant, which makes broadband network management software. He travels frequently for work and writes about his experiences on the road in this column.