Thoughts on WBOS: I started to add this as a comment to this post by Marie regarding her banning of Jesse Gossett and on changing other peoples minds -- but it ran out of control, so Ive moved it to a separate post. Please indulge me. I had written to both Jesse and Paul Westlake on one thread that I thought was getting too negative and was getting out of hand, and both kindly responded that they would try not to get to personal or sniping in their disagreements. Apparently Marie had not seen this before the encounter which led her to expel Jesse. But she has graciously agreed that he can rejoin us if he wants to give things another shot. I really would like WBOS to be a place that all members consider themselves to be owners of and invested in, with all chipping in to mention new members and to help keep us from turning into just another anonymous place on the internet, where people can vent their frustrations by disrespecting others to their hearts content. But as we DO have admins, let me personally thank our Marie -- who graciously founded this place to begin with! -- Terry Gloer and Dave Hildebrand, who share quite a bit of their time here, as well as Tav Lesh and Bill Jokela, who also contribute in that capacity. We sometimes spend quite a bit of time discussing between ourselves how we can do better (as we can tire each other out, more volunteers to be an admin are welcome!). Sadly, I do think one very serious problem we face is a penchant that all of us have to disagree, rather than to listen to concerns and to work towards finding and focussing on common ground where we might be able to be productive. Its not easy, but I would like us to actually feel committed to and get to know each other personally, so we can actually ENJOY each others company, and feel like we are making a positive difference to each other in some way. It is only in pulling together, ultimately, that any of us can accomplish anything meaningful - and it can be very satisfying if we make progress in coming together rather than falling apart. I would appreciate thoughts from other members on anything we, as admins and as members, can do make this a BETTER place. Do we need to screen applicants more carefully? Should we have some designated mentor for each new member, to serve as a sidebar sounding board? Should we more strictly insist that no one comment or post unless theyve signed the Oath? Would any additional rules be helpful? Should admins be more transparent to members? Let me close by punting to Pope Francis, who last wee expressed very well and wisely a lot of what I hope for (and do poorly at myself): news.va/en/news/communication-at-the-service-of-an-authentic-cultu I hope (as a Catholic-raised atheist) that you will all read it, and share in part in his wish for better, deeper, and more caring communication. I quote generously, because, lets face it, we are all pretty damn lazy ;) : - Good communication helps us to grow closer, to know one another better, and ultimately, to grow in unity. The walls which divide us can be broken down only if we are prepared to listen and learn from one another. We need to resolve our differences through forms of dialogue which help us grow in understanding and mutual respect. A culture of encounter demands that we be ready not only to give, but also to receive. - The speed with which information is communicated exceeds our capacity for reflection and judgement, and this does not make for more balanced and proper forms of self-expression. The variety of opinions being aired can be seen as helpful, but it also enables people to barricade themselves behind sources of information which only confirm their own wishes and ideas, or political and economic interests. The world of communications can help us either to expand our knowledge or to lose our bearings. The desire for digital connectivity can have the effect of isolating us from our neighbours, from those closest to us. - communication is ultimately a human rather than technological achievement. What is it, then, that helps us, in the digital environment, to grow in humanity and mutual understanding? We need, for example, to recover a certain sense of deliberateness and calm. This calls for time and the ability to be silent and to listen. We need also to be patient if we want to understand those who are different from us. People only express themselves fully when they are not merely tolerated, but know that they are truly accepted. If we are genuinely attentive in listening to others, we will learn to look at the world with different eyes and come to appreciate the richness of human experience as manifested in different cultures and traditions. - How, then, can communication be at the service of an authentic culture of encounter? ... In spite of our own limitations ..., how do we draw truly close to one another? These questions are summed up in what a scribe – a communicator – once asked Jesus: “And who is my neighbour?” (Lk 10:29). This question can help us to see communication in terms of “neighbourliness”. We might paraphrase the question in this way: How can we be “neighbourly” in our use of the communications media and in the new environment created by digital technology? I find an answer in the parable of the Good Samaritan, which is also a parable about communication. Those who communicate, in effect, become neighbours. - Nowadays there is a danger that certain media so condition our responses that we fail to see our real neighbour. It is not enough to be passersby on the digital highways, simply “connected”; connections need to grow into true encounters. We cannot live apart, closed in on ourselves. We need to love and to be loved. We need tenderness. Media strategies do not ensure beauty, goodness and truth in communication. ... The digital world can be an environment rich in humanity; a network not of wires but of people. The impartiality of media is merely an appearance; only those who go out of themselves in their communication can become a true point of reference for others. Personal engagement is the basis of the trustworthiness of a communicator. - The digital highway is one of them, a street teeming with people who are often hurting, men and women looking for salvation or hope. - We are challenged to be people of depth, attentive to what is happening around us and spiritually alert. To dialogue means to believe that the “other” has something worthwhile to say, and to entertain his or her point of view and perspective. Engaging in dialogue does not mean renouncing our own ideas and traditions, but the claim that they alone are valid or absolute. - Let our communication be a balm which relieves pain and a fine wine which gladdens hearts. May the light we bring to others not be the result of cosmetics or special effects, but rather of our being loving and merciful “neighbours” to those wounded and left on the side of the road. We can only solve our problems by acting collectively, which requires mutual trust, commitment, shared purposes and an ability to keep each other honest. That is both our problem and our challenge.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 05:16:34 +0000
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