I received a most heart warming comment from a spammer the other day. To understand why it has affected me, you might first need a little background. I have been diagnosed with Stephen Hawking’s ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Based on just that fact, and that my lab scores are dead even (and that I do not have access to Mr. Hawking’s money or universal health care) I will most likely die sometime in the next year or two.

I announced my condition to the world through my blog last August, and have had many heartfelt wishes and offerings of support.

And lots of spam.

I use Mollom to protect my blog which is powered by Drupal, and it does a fairly decent job. Still, about 50 instances of spam make it through the filters every month. I have to handpick those out, which is an increasingly difficult task, considering that I have little ability to use my hands anymore.

So this one comment stuck out, beginning as so many do, with concern for my condition, and well-intentioned advice, in this case to seek out Ayurvedic medicine. But then, the poster went on to chastise other spammers on this site, and I quote:

One more thing for some persons who comment here. Don't forget that you are humanbeing. I also come here to place my link here. But when a person is in such a condition and place his feelings here, then how the hell you are posting your links here for business purpose. I am also doing SEO. But not at the cost of humanity. It is the time to help and support him, materially or mentally. If you can't do that please don't at least post here.

It is my sincere request.

This is a good reminder that even as we continue to fight the war against spam, that our combatants are human. Like so many soldiers, they are fighting for money (for “business purpose”). They also create internal justifications for what they do (“I am also doing SEO”).

And that at least one of them has a heart of gold.

Thank you, Dillip.

(Here's a better version of the song.)

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