That Forum Thing You Do
By bloggeroo
@bloggeroo (2167)
Philippines
May 15, 2010 6:28am CST
At myLot and any other forum, it is understandable to believe that we are in a discussion with other human beings and we desperately want to connect with these other consciousness. It is a noble thought, but replete with hidden dangers.
I've just visited a forum where it seems that some members feel strongly that their forum is going down the path of meaningless discussions. When the mundane and profound started mixing together, those who have grown attached to an "online experience" began to grumble and stir the others from complacency.
And so I intervened in this forum of astrologers and astrology enthusiast. What follows is my post:
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Let me offer my own view of the matter as a Gemini, messenger of the gods.
My work as an I.T. professional brings me in contact with the world wide web everyday. I know its pervasive effect on us and I am all too aware of a "medium" foretold by Marshall McLuhan who uttered the famous words, "The medium is the message."
Most behaviors by man have been influenced by specific forms of media. A forum like this encourages certain behavior with certainty. Wanting something else needs a different level of awareness. The closest parallel I can offer is what the character Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) did in the 1999 movie, The Matrix. The scene: Neo and Morpheus sparring with each other in virtual reality.
For you to escape a certain reality, you need to behave differently. Trying to use your muscles in cyberspace is not effective as Morpheus aptly put: Do you believe that my being stronger or faster has anything to do with my muscles in this place?
What did Neo do when he realized that the physical world and cyberspace are two different realities? He learned to let go and he freed his mind. It wasn't easy because he kept behaving, as a matter of habit, like a corporeal being in cyberspace until a child told him a secret:
Realize the truth. There is no spoon.
Fellow astrologers, you are trying to bend the spoon with your will. That is impossible. Heed the wisdom of those simple words: There is no spoon.
So, what's next if you succeed in going to a higher level of reality and transcend this world? Ah. Let me guide you through your travels because I know where the Oracle may be found for I am Gemini, messenger of the gods.
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Good thing they didn't flame me. Anyway, I just thought I'd share this here lest something similar happen in this forum and some of you forget that we are here for different reasons. We may all be motivated by the dollar sign, but it doesn't mean that we share the same realities.
1 response
@bonanza9 (257)
• Indonesia
15 May 10
Hmm. Bloggeroo, you're indeed very wise. I'm confused how to reply this one:p. I can't make up words.
I just thought that we are, all of us, share the same thought somehow, but are we share the same reality? Of course not, we don't share the experience, yet somehow all of us can meet here, discuss anything together has proven what the Matrix story has told, that our mind is intertwined one another, thus making us come here, to the very place that we can share our own realities, although different in respect, but have same similar pattern in one or other way. Also, when come here, our ultimate goal may be same, for the money, but as time goes, realities separate us.
@bloggeroo (2167)
• Philippines
15 May 10
On the internet, nobody knows you're a dog. I've seen these humorous line captioned to a cartoon of a dog sitting in front of a computer. This should warn us about getting too familiar with our online experiences.
Why? Because we know so little of the person on the other end of our computers. So, for me, it is wrong to get so attached or involved in conversations as if they meant the world to us. I've been to forums with veterans flaming newbies because they asked stupid questions or acted like clueless. Rather than ignore the culprit, they make a big deal out of it.
And now, lately, I've seen posts expressing concern about how the quality of discussions is bad and getting worse. Like I said, it's a noble thought to be concerned with "quality", but most members have other concerns and ideas about quality. Instead of focusing and forcing other people to post better, they should just focus on improving their own.
