Chat
01-12-2016, 05:35 AM
What prompts my post is both the reaction to some of my posts as of late, as well as what I cannot find in any of the preliminaries (rules/guidelines) of this forum as to its "ethics," and/or what is or should be the chief goals of this forum, its threads, and those who post here.
The Internet has been around for some time now, and public forums of whatever subject or interest as well. As is true of the NDC, as well as most any forum on the Net, forums often have many people who come and visit, join, may post for awhile, and then leave, or rarely post again. I don't see any active statistics for the NDC, but I suspect that on a daily basis, only 5% or less of the registered members actually post. And as is true of most any forum, some members do tend to dominate the board, and post very frequently, whether they are moderators or not.
The Internet often gives the illusion of importance. While it is true, any and all contributions to a public forum have to be assumed to be valuable until proven otherwise, it is also true that it is the responsibility of members to be cognizant of the flow of the forum, and in the case of the NDC, dare I say, the prompting of the Spirit. We all may define the Spirit differently, based on our personal beliefs, but it is important to not only think before you post, but also gauge inside of yourself whether or not you truly believe that what you are posting will be valuable and helpful to others.
It is very hard sometimes to know when to speak, and when to shut up, and let others speak. How sad it would be, if we surveyed all current registered members of the NDC (the 2000 plus collective), to find out that it is not due to busyness in their lives that many don't post, but rather that they feel whatever they post would be ridiculed, dominated, and/or taken over by others.
Thus, the ethics of this forum go hand in hand with the humility of each and every member and visitor. Personally, it is never my goal to consume a given thread with only my thoughts or feelings. Of course, it is wonderful to be validated by others, or even to be taken to task. That is how we learn and grow. And none of us can sit here and literally hold each other's hands in life; life is complicated, diverse, and difficult. Facts and emotions change and can run wild each and every day.
On the whole, I believe there is much respect on the NDC, probably the most respect I have seen in all the forums I have visited or joined over the years. And that is in large part due to the diligence and forbearance of the moderator(s). They know when to step in and stop something, and when to just let it go and see where it goes. And this is often a very hard task indeed, and not without its mistakes and lessons learned.
At a minimum, I would argue that each and every post here should be made with the hope and intention that it will be valuable to the forum as a whole; otherwise, it should simply be a private message shared between two members. Not every thought in one's head need be posted ... reactions to any post may take many directions, bring up both positive and negative feelings; none of us can control others, as we have each been granted abundant "free will" by God and the Universe. In the end, God is our one and only Judge. To know that when each of us ends our earthly lives, we will face God alone, is a sobering and humbling revelation, and no matter how many emotions swirl in our heads on a daily basis, this revelation should give us pause: to push when pushing is needed, and to retreat when retreating is needed.
The Internet has been around for some time now, and public forums of whatever subject or interest as well. As is true of the NDC, as well as most any forum on the Net, forums often have many people who come and visit, join, may post for awhile, and then leave, or rarely post again. I don't see any active statistics for the NDC, but I suspect that on a daily basis, only 5% or less of the registered members actually post. And as is true of most any forum, some members do tend to dominate the board, and post very frequently, whether they are moderators or not.
The Internet often gives the illusion of importance. While it is true, any and all contributions to a public forum have to be assumed to be valuable until proven otherwise, it is also true that it is the responsibility of members to be cognizant of the flow of the forum, and in the case of the NDC, dare I say, the prompting of the Spirit. We all may define the Spirit differently, based on our personal beliefs, but it is important to not only think before you post, but also gauge inside of yourself whether or not you truly believe that what you are posting will be valuable and helpful to others.
It is very hard sometimes to know when to speak, and when to shut up, and let others speak. How sad it would be, if we surveyed all current registered members of the NDC (the 2000 plus collective), to find out that it is not due to busyness in their lives that many don't post, but rather that they feel whatever they post would be ridiculed, dominated, and/or taken over by others.
Thus, the ethics of this forum go hand in hand with the humility of each and every member and visitor. Personally, it is never my goal to consume a given thread with only my thoughts or feelings. Of course, it is wonderful to be validated by others, or even to be taken to task. That is how we learn and grow. And none of us can sit here and literally hold each other's hands in life; life is complicated, diverse, and difficult. Facts and emotions change and can run wild each and every day.
On the whole, I believe there is much respect on the NDC, probably the most respect I have seen in all the forums I have visited or joined over the years. And that is in large part due to the diligence and forbearance of the moderator(s). They know when to step in and stop something, and when to just let it go and see where it goes. And this is often a very hard task indeed, and not without its mistakes and lessons learned.
At a minimum, I would argue that each and every post here should be made with the hope and intention that it will be valuable to the forum as a whole; otherwise, it should simply be a private message shared between two members. Not every thought in one's head need be posted ... reactions to any post may take many directions, bring up both positive and negative feelings; none of us can control others, as we have each been granted abundant "free will" by God and the Universe. In the end, God is our one and only Judge. To know that when each of us ends our earthly lives, we will face God alone, is a sobering and humbling revelation, and no matter how many emotions swirl in our heads on a daily basis, this revelation should give us pause: to push when pushing is needed, and to retreat when retreating is needed.