As I surf around the blogs of my newly acquired Opera friends, I see how their posts reflect ideas, beliefs, maxims, thoughts, emotions etc. drawn either from a more philosophical or a more real-life context, depending on each person’s composure. That’s normal – even typical.
At the same time, that’s why the most striking feature I’ve noticed is in the comments. Most of the time, people write a comment not in reply to the ideas etc. discussed in the post, but on a personal basis in friendly tunes. This creates the impression that making a comment is more important than the comment itself. It is, therefore, as if what’s of real importance is not the ideas etc. discussed, but communication per se. I like that very much.
Even though I often don’t feel comfortable addressing people I barely know on such a personal basis, I really enjoy watching the easiness of others when they do it and I also enjoy the way it is received by the authors. As far as I’m concerned, it’s like people cut to the chase and go after what’s real: communication. One might argue that the internet allows only a superficial type of communication. Maybe; but it’s still wonderful.
9 comments:
"Most of the time, people write a comment not in reply to the ideas etc. discussed in the post, but on a personal basis in friendly tunes. This creates the impression that making a comment is more important than the comment itself."
A very nice person asked me to comment her blog. I'm undecided, because I would rather be doing something different with her...
Really, my idea of friendliness does not exclude commenting people's blogs, but it is a rather small, almost insignificant part of it. Friendliness can easily exist without commenting, even when the friend has a blog.
How is this for a comment? :)
Not bad. :D
In the Greek section of my blog, a friend argues that making comments in disregard of the main topic is nothing but an egotistical way of drawing attention to oneself.
I have to say that we all work in egotistical ways, the authors of posts more than anyone, as we usually have our mind made up already and no comment, no matter how bright, will ever move us away. Why do we write posts then? Do we write in order to enchant others with our writing skills and/or our brightness? Or maybe because we enjoy the conversation/dispute that comes afterwards because it allows a further exhibition of our brightness? Are we plainly saying "adore me"? You see, it's all the same, either way you look at it. The self is in the center - and you know what? It just CAN'T be otherwise.
If it is unsettling for an author to see comments that move away from the main idea he intended to discuss, well, he's in trouble and he doesn't know! There is tension inside him and he has to meet what it is that creates the tension instead of pushing it away and escaping to the intellectual sphere.
Thinking like this makes me see genuiness in simple words like goodmorning, have a nice day, little smilies etc. and pretention in instances where the intellect shines forth so bright that even its possessor is eventually blinded...
"Thinking like this makes me see genuiness in simple words like goodmorning, have a nice day, little smilies etc."
I would not say those little things are necessarily genuine, but the experience will certainly be pleasant for anyone can appreciate glittering, as opposed to blinding sunshine.
But what about the other situation - when there are no comments? No glitter or shining. Where is the nature of selfishness then? What about the experience of blogging then?
I could say something about desperate monologues and perhaps it would be valid too - considering that when I started off my (Greek) blog there were no comments there for months. But you see back then I believed that I was writing the Truth. I believed I had a revelation and it was my responsibility to share it with the world. That was the nature of [my] selfishness then. I don't know if you have ever been in that area.
Anyway, the more you discuss ideas and views the sooner it dawns on you that it's all in vain. Thoughts move in circles and everyone (authors of posts included) is just stack with his own view. Which makes one wonder why do we even bother to try and get any idea across.
As regards inter-personal communication, I'm happy to see your writings even though I don't agree with them all the time. Which makes me realize that maybe I'm not interested in your views, which anyway shift and change - just in you as a friend. A simple "hello, how are you doing" could have done the job much better then, better than any of these long lines here. Multum in parvo? Most probably.
This makes me see how internal dialogue is the more fruitful way to the truth. External discussion can spoil it, if we introduce our revelations to the marketplace when they are not ripe yet or when we are not mature enough.
Inter-personally, yes the best is "Nice to see you" *hugs* :) but too much of it keeps us away from the internal dialogue which needs to ripen. After it is allowed to ripen, the pleasantries can be even more pleasant.
I still haven't been able to decide which extreme is worse - solitude or exposition of oneself. I would want to choose the better extreme.
I'm not sure it ever ripens. Anyway, internal dialogue alone is no good thing. Is this what I wrote? I have to be more careful with my wording... :D
If internal dialogue alone is no good thing, then we should definitely go after communication. But there are sorts and kinds there. Which one is the truest? That's what I've been asking myself about in this post.
I guess if the internal dialogue leads to understanding and calm, then it is good. If it does not seem to lead that way, then it is probably good to help it along with some external communication here and there. Maybe this is how it is meant to work. Maybe, if we can live this way.
"Blogs" have different purpose for different people (commentators as well) while comments provide certain degree of interactivity between the bloggers and the commentators, and amongst the commentators themselves. The bloggers have to decide whether to respond or ignore the comments. If the interactivity do not fall in the expectation of the bloggers or the commentators...they will naturally drift apart..
Reading writing of others have positive function for me..and the interaction with each others are definitely a great benefit to me, I like and I have read all yr blogs here, but honestly, I prefer a more real-life interaction, coz I think in our real life, we have to deal with many things which already exhausted our energy...I prefer a feeling of more relax and friendly interaction with each other.
I'm very happy to see you here, Meow, thanks for visiting. Reading what other people write is beneficial for me too and it is always nice to see that someone is thinking of you and writes something even if it is somewhat irrelevant to the main idea of the post. Communication is never irrevelant, anyway... :)
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