Thanks for putting the vague worry I have lately into words. Too much of these comments feel related to me - I just started a blog, I'm probably trying too hard to be thoughtful, and for fucks sake, I even made that repost in #askhubski in _refugee_'s post. I catch myself sharing posts because I like the person, not just its content. My fear is to become that boring guy. That guy with a blog that nobody cares about. That I don't understand what I write well enough, yet people just share it. I have no clue how to be thoughtful. How to be interesting. How to make something that is of value, that people care about besides me. I'm trying though. But trying alone isn't good enough, just as trying to be an artist doesn't make you one. Kindergarten would be filled with artists if trying was all that's needed to succeed. I always feel like I don't know shit and most people here do, especially you. I keep doubting about every move I make, every sentence I write, hoping it will matter or mean something. Yet I always enjoy reading your posts, as they usually lie close to the real meaning of thoughtful. What I'm trying to ask with a tired, jet-lagged mind, is how can I not be boring? What constitutes an interesting post? What matters?Lately? "Here are my completely groundless and unexamined thoughts on a subject I barely understand, reward me."
The only thing we have in the end is perspective. Your perspective is what makes any facts you know, any stories you tell, any truths you've discovered your own, rather than universal. In an age of Wikipedia, facts are easy to come by. Perspectives become valuable. Seen "Julie & Julia?" It's half-interesting; the Amy Adams portion is dry as dogshit. And it's not because the character played by Amy Adams is uninteresting - she is. It's that no attempt was made to justify her existence. Her uninteresting foil of Julia Child tells me nothing about Julie. Julie's life has all the foibles that anyone's life would have… but there's nothing about her that makes me care about her. She's a stock persona plugged into a stock environment. Now - seen 'Say Anything?' Ione Skye's character is a Rhodes scholar. She volunteers at an old folks home. She's the scream on sound effects tapes. Her dad is an embezzler going to prison. Meanwhile, John Cusack is a schlub who lives with his sister and his sister's kid, whose sole accomplishment is teaching kickboxing to small children. Yet Cusack's character is a hoot to watch. He lives. He breathes. The movie is about his perspective. Compared to him, Ione Skye is wooden and forgettable (and heartbreakingly beautiful; hot damn that girl is something else, even now). Don't try to be thoughtful. Don't try to be interesting. Try to show me the world through your eyes, because I can't see it that way without your help. I used to be criticized regularly on Reddit for making it "all about me." It hurt, mostly because it wasn't true, but partially because the only way I can make you see "my" story is by showing it through my eyes. Facts aren't interesting. Meaning is interesting and meaning is a journey, sometimes self-guided, sometimes led by a tour guide. What meaning have you found for your facts? Note that I won't necessarily agree with you. I may know more facts. We'll trade facts and we'll both leave with a different understanding than we came with. That is how one is thoughtful. That quote up there: "Here are my completely groundless and unexamined thoughts on a subject I barely understand, reward me." Turn it on its head: "I have no grounding in a subject I barely understand but I've been examining it. What are your thoughts?" The former is a mandate. The latter is an invitation. By inspection, which one invites participation? Which one invites dismantling?
God, that's exactly the answer I needed. I just came back from my research trip to Hong Kong. When my group was walking around the older parts of Yuen Long, far away from any tourist, we were suddenly approached by a local. He recognized our Dutch and asked if we were from the Netherlands. Turns out that the man, named Kit, lived half his live in Rotterdam and the other in Hong Kong. He even talked Dutch, invited us into his home and gave us a tour of the area. But most importantly, he showed what daily life there looked like. Like having a shrine in his living room to his ancestors, which is very common. How he just managed to live there, with the expensive housing and all. That he saved up to make sure his cousins could have a better life. Most of all, it gave me the perspective to understand how millions of people live there. The things we have in common, that they all have their lives and aren't just numbers on a population chart. Now I have more grounding on a subject I understand more with every day. I think the main difference between hubski and reddit in this aspect is the axiom of honesty. I think that comments here are genuine opinions, not just the common denominator to gain moar karma. Because there's almost no point in whoring for votes here, comments are only written for their own merit. So it's normal that it's about you. I read comments to know what people I know think of it, or what thought are voiced by people I don't yet know. Reading comments there on the other hand is just to find a rebuttal of the main story, or a nice addition to it. It often doesn't matter by whom. When you make that important, they get upset. What are your thoughts?Try to show me the world through your eyes, because I can't see it that way without your help.
I used to be criticized regularly on Reddit for making it "all about me." It hurt, mostly because it wasn't true, but partially because the only way I can make you see "my" story is by showing it through my eyes.
I think my thoughts are one perspective, and I think we're in a thread that's a week old wherein most everyone who had something to say said it. I think the discussion is worth continuing between more than just you and me… …and that's exactly the sort of thing that makes a good post. Hop to, squire. And don't be afraid to shout out to some peeps. mk thenewgreen _refugee_ theadvancedapes @plentyofpeopleI'mforgetting@
Just drove through said, "ice storm." Stay put pal. I'm not sure why I was shouted out to for this, except for the fact that I shout out to kb at least twice a day. Retribution? veen, you should know that your content is enjoyed here. I'm looking forward to a post about your travels, others are too. Be safe pal!I think that comments here are genuine opinions, not just the common denominator to gain moar karma.
-We are extremely careful not to give "points" out. This is the main reason that it takes a long time to get that hub-wheel to have a full rotation.
It's 2am and I'm typing this from my phone and I don't really have a good question yet to further the discussion. You can start it or I'll sleep on it. Besides, a relaxing Sunday's always the best day to reflect on oneself. On a sidenote, I'm often hesitant to tag people in posts. It always feels like I'm infringing on their time. I'd rather have it that they would respond on their own schedule instead of having me screaming in their inbox for their attention. 'Night