Peace Be With Us: A Humble Suggestion for My Fellow Evolvers
posted by ChibiOne | May 9, 2009
- Login or register to post comments
- Print this page
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Propeller
Reddit
Magnoliacom
Newsvine
Furl
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Technorati
IcerocketAfter watching two people whom I respect decide to leave after receiving one-too-many overly sarcastic and/or personal attacks upon a post they made (not always completely unprovoked, to be sure), this occurs to me: We have been asked to share something personal here...and everyone needs to understand and respect this.
The more I interact with, experience, and study this phenomenon (including my time on Reality Sandwich), the more I think the major thing to keep in mind here is that the material shared on a social network focused on the issues Evolver aims for is extremely personal!
People have been invited to share a bit of their true soul and to discuss their very understanding of the world and their place within it.
Even if we disagree, it is territory in which each of us should tread carefully, and respectfully (and please understand I very much include myself in all of this).
It is only an initial degree of trust, promised by the atmosphere of the site itself, which makes us feel safe to do so. It will take a while and some getting to know one another before most of us feel trusting enough of the people we have met here to really accept criticism from them. People only listen to criticism from friends...and, I think I can safely say, most of us know each other little enough that the title of 'friend' is one that is still to be truly earned.
We all get criticized and questioned constantly every day, I'd wager, unless you are just keeping everything that brought you to this site bottled up and hidden from the rest of the world.
First and foremost, I think most people come here to be accepted and listened to. I strongly feel that, though we may not agree with all of each others ideas, still should we treat the person themselves with nothing but respect. It isn't any of our jobs to help someone get over their Ego -- that is their own quest, and it will be fulfilled in its own perfect time.
Our mutual passion on these subjects is absolutely bound to create some fireworks and social tension. Any time this happens, please keep in mind this fact: Would that more people cared so much, for then the world might be a better place.
If you can't say something nice, or at least disagree with respect and courtesy, then I very much feel that it is better to just say nothing and save your discussion for someone on here with whom you have more in common. The very last thing we need to be doing at this point in the game is driving people away who have any desire to help build the more beautiful world we all feel is possible...because we are gonna need all the help we can get.
"Those who are not against us are with us." Yeshua bin Mirriam of Nazareth
Namaste
Comments
Yes indeed!
— May 09, 2009
One of the ego traps we need to overcome is the tendency to try to chase ideas, we don't agree with, out of our community. When the community is trying to base itself on growth of consciousness, to approach anyone's ideas with anything less than respect, is like spraying Roundup(herbicide) on your garden. It is counterproductive to say the least.
When the logo says "evolution", those of us with a spiritual bent are going to be wary from the start. A survival of the fittest club is not where we belong. If the characters that hang out around here continue to want to bump chests rather than share ideas, more will depart for more comfortable communities.
On the other hand, i know that i am too busy to follow more than one or two discussion groups at a time. I can see why people with projects just don't have time to participate.
Time will tell.
cheers,
jim
Thanks for posting this; I
— May 09, 2009
Thanks for posting this; I wasn't aware this was happening. It's so important to create community that is the natural extension of our value systems. And the point here IS to create community. I haven't seen the comments in questions, but it sounds like the point of Evolver had been missed. Yet, it's still good to see you and others stepping up to create this space in the reflection of what we want it to be.
wise words, ChibiOne
— May 09, 2009
thanks for the post, it is much appreciated
namaste
"Conquer inner foes; triumph over your ego" -- Sathya Sai Baba
Thank you, insomniac. This
— May 09, 2009
Thank you, insomniac. This is exactly what I am trying to get across. The old paradigm of 'the One True Path' is over. There is no one true path. To quote a favorite movie of mine, "Anyone who says otherwise is selling something."
A space needs to be made for all voices, all opinions, all perspectives. We need to take into account the worlds created by others, rather than attempt to explain them away. Anything else speaks of the Hubris of Exclusivity. The Universe, and even more, the Source...what we perceive as Consciousness Itself...The Simple Feeling of Being -- Whatever you wish to call it (or not call it) Excludes Nothing!
This particular opening, this Space, might allow for the coming together of those who at least want to try to do something to help (whether or not there is anyone actually doing it). But, simultaneously, it might be a place where those who really wanted to try were scared away by meaningless conflict and Egotistical pointing towards their Ego.
They expose their deepest sense of Self and understanding of the All. And are decried in their passion as Egoist and whatnot.
Once burned, twice shy.
For the Love of All of Us, I Plead: We can continue our arguments and our games, and all of that....After we have come to some kind of solution to the Incredible Coming-Together of Crisis Plaguing Our Species. No one else seems to really be asking the tough questions.
That is why I stay with Evolver/RS/Etc.
As I have said before, and will say however many times it is necessary: To keep an Absolute perspective, and to understand that there Is No Doer, is wonderful, beautiful, and necessary! It is in most part forgetting that which has brought us to this point!
Absolutely true! But still Action Happens!
And to ignore the suffering of Billions with the excuse of "All is as It Should Be, Let Go of Ego and It Won't Hurt So Bad" makes a mockery of everything true Enlightenment is supposed to stand for, as far as my opinion is concerned.
Please, please, please let our action go towards building a community oriented towards creating something better, rather than destroying something old. The other might be necessary eventually, but it is absolutely useless -- and even imbalancingly destructive, during a time marked by Destruction -- if the one is not started first. I love a good debate, and will participate in one anywhere I think it is going on.
But, if you are creating a sculpture -- and all you do is chisel -- you end up with a pile of dust.
More to the point, I really don't think we have time for silly semantic disagreements right at this point.
I'll be the first to rejoice and kiss the floor, and all of you, if I am wrong. Don't be in a place of fear, because Together we can and will overcome. But please let's come together.
Please.
"You must *be* the change you wish to see in the world."
Mahatma Gandhi
Chibi, thanks for your
— May 09, 2009
Chibi, thanks for your thoughts. Some quotes....
“The most difficult thing in the world is to know how to do a thing and to watch somebody else doing it wrong, without comment.” — T. H. White
Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best. -- Henry Van Dyke
The snow goose need not bathe to make itself white. Neither need you do anything but be yourself. — Lao-Tzu
"Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." —Voltaire
You cast yourself as
— May 09, 2009
You cast yourself as villain. I don't know why. I simply attempt to include your (extremely valid and valuable) perspective in to my overall reply to everyone.
Why you continuously think it is all about you, and go off on long tangents explaining yourself and what you are doing here, or that you can lecture people about not lecturing, is all you, my friend. You really are a gem.
And I had asked you, and you agreed, to not comment on my blogs any more due to this random divisiveness. I am willing to forgive and welcome you again (and, indeed, as many times as the offend-forgive cycle need progress before we come to some equilibrium). But please understand, I am very much only partly talking to you at all, let alone attempting to cast you as villain.
You speak of eserudy as though it is something that most here even know what you are talking about (and, even if that is true, it only because you posted constantly in every blog about the uselessness of posting in blogs and of your own unexpected Transcendence. =P). What makes you think the whole ordeal was that important to the rest of us, other than that you continuously inflict your sudden understanding on everyone, as though words can convey the understanding you claim to have reached?
You showed me, and continue to show me, certain sides of myself. Well done. But why don't I see those sides of myself in others? What sides of yourself are you putting forward so that I see their twin mirrored in me? And do you honestly believe it is doing any good?
(And, on a text-based medium, words are all you have. It is those you must make teach, and with them describe your actions. The Internet is a communications medium...all you will ever see on it is people talking. That does not mean that is all they are doing.)
It is exactly this narcissism-that-believes-it-has-transcended-Itself (even if maybe it has) that irritates me (and I'll agree that's my problem).
Even if that is true, exactly as I said before, it does not excuse you from purposefully insulting, mocking, or otherwise hurtful behavior. Do no attempt to call people out, and then make them feel ashamed because they still feel pain.
And, hell, you even really hadn't.... =P I was more or less enjoying your posts, until this one.
Try to understand, it is very much not all about you, nor do I see you as the 'Villain'. That is you seeing yourself there (even if you feel there is no longer a 'you' or 'me' involved, you are very much acting as though there is. I must respond as such, for exactly the same reasons). Sorry.
Mostly, I personally see you as a nice reminder.
Namaste
"You must *be* the change you wish to see in the world."
Mahatma Gandhi
take a deep breath
— May 09, 2009
a safe and happy refuge for dreamers...ah yes please let it be this.
"With great power comes great responsibility." - Stan Lee (via Peter Parker)
"Hey are you a dreamer? ..uhYeah....
— May 26, 2009
I haven't seen too many of you around lately. Things have been tough for dreamers. They say dreaming's dead and no-one does it any-more, but its not dead, its been removed from our language. Nobody teaches it so nobody knows it exists; the dreamer is banished to obscurity (wink). But I'm trying to change all that and i hope you are too; by dreaming everyday with your hands and with your mind. Our planet is facing the greatest problems it has ever faced, ever, so whatever you do, don't be bored. This is absolutely the most exciting time you could possibly hope to be alive; and things are just starting!"
a dreamer from Richard Linklater's Waking Life
Wow... its the internet!
— May 10, 2009
Surprise everyone... its the internet.
Does anyone here agree with me that not only is it strange for someone to "leave" (were they ever really "here"?) a website like this, it's even more unnecessary to make a big deal about it. If things don't interest you, if you don't like some of the people here, then just stop blogging and posting, plain and simple. It's not like this thing that you need to be 100% invested in or never come back. You don't have to make it some kind of punishment for the other people on the site. This stuff weirds me out every time, and I've seen it quite a bit in Internetland.
(I really recommend to everyone here that they read "Here Comes Everyone" by Clay Shirky. It was very edifying for me.)
As far as politeness goes, and disagreements... of course we are going to have arguments. I think that if we aren't engaging in dialogue here than we are as we said, just reinforcing our own small tightly knit parrot groups and not reaching out to the wider spectrum or finding common ground.
So any dialogue involves two responsibilities, one is not to purposely offend the other person or belittle their beliefs, and the second is not to allow your emotional reaction to an alternative point of view dominate the conversation. We have responsibilities as speakers and listeners.
(But hey come on, we all know that we love internet drama. It's why we write long posts about it, it's why I'm up at night reading this stuff like candy. So thank you all for that.)
And please chill out.... as Bob Dobbs says, "F*ck em' if they can't take a joke".
Cheers,
Meade
This needs to be heard...
— May 16, 2009
Thanks for the post, ChibiOne. I haven't experienced this on Evolver...Yet, but I have noticed alot of bashing on Reality Sandwich. One way of dealing with this, I think, is to put a "thumbs up/thumbs down" feature next to every post which would be a way of calling out people who do no play nice in the space. If a user got 5 thumbs down, or something like that, they might be warned, and with 10 they would be kicked off Evolver. I think this is a serious issue and the administrators of Evolver need to take this seriously or else people will leave and that will effect people's experience of Evolver.
Christopher Lindstrom
Social Labs
Narcissitically and ironically quoted...
— May 26, 2009
'When, as in the case of an oppositional model, one can only be right or wrong, an argument often becomes a confrontation rather than an exercise in elucidation; a battle, where discourse leads to the re-enforcement of ego and dogma, rather than a breakthrough into deeper understanding, and as such communication is sabotaged. This is most problematic when there is an imbalance of authority in a debate, where established power structures or intellectual paradigms, with their vested interests and entourage of experts, face novelty or dissent.'
http://www.evolver.net/user/moontrap/blog/dualistic_oppositions_generate...
