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The Second International Symposium of Hate on the Internet was an enlightening experience. Besides showing me the technical aspect of the 'net, It opened my eyes to a new world, with new problems, and opportunities for solutions within those problems. Being a "computer person", I looked upon the World Wide Web as my own sandbox - a very small world. The Symposium showed me that there were other people in that sandbox - not all of them willing to "play fair". I had no idea of the number and quality of sites promoting Racial Hate. It was shocking.

Before the Symposium, I knew Hate existed. All of us do - only most of us do not acknowledge it as a problem, or do not realize the extent of it's influence. From what we saw that day - sites advocating white supremacy, holocaust denial, ethnocentrism... - the list gets longer and more terrifying. How can people find it in themselves to do this to each other? The Internet is like a huge organism - everyday it is evolving, growing, spreading. Some parts get infected, and those small parts touch millions daily.

The problem seemed insurmountable. However, as a philosopher once said, "The pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity - the optimist watches for the opportunity in every difficulty". The speakers at the symposium showed me how to combat Hate in my own way - from the confines of my home, sitting at my computer.

At the time, I was working on a web site for a program in our school - "...In Tacit Understanding... ~ One Community Under the Same Sky". It is a program which works towards eliminating racism, and hate crime, through the arts - working in co-sponsorship with Toronto Police: Hate/Crime Unit and City Of Toronto: Access and Equity Centre. Until then, I was pretty relaxed about it - it was just a web site. After the symposium, however, it was more than just a site. It was a weapon, not of destruction, but a spearhead of love. To me, it was no longer just a job that had to be done - it was my own personal goal. The symposium sparked off a new flame, challenging me to work harder, to push myself, to make a difference in as big a way as I could. The site is now up and running, thanks in no small part to the dedicated and motivating speakers and organizers of the 2nd International Symposium of Hate on the Internet. The web site can be visited at http://members.xoom.com/undersamesky.

The experience has helped me grow, has broadened my horizons, and motivated me into doing things that I believed could not be done. It has given me an object - a purpose - in life, and this is invaluable in the ongoing and uphill struggle against Hate - on the Internet, and everywhere else.