Friday, July 25, 2008

Viral Beauty....


"The session transformed from panelists speaking to an audience to a circle of people engaged in conversation about how the blogosphere can be an opportunity to express, connect and organize to celebrate beauty, choice, and service to others. " - Staci at Practical Spirituality


I happened across this blog a few days ago and have had some interesting discussions with Staci since.

We discussed the panel at BlogHer called Beautiful Blogging and Positive Posting which, obviously, I did not attend but the idea captured my attention.

How we use blogs is important. The panel sounded inspirational and full of great ideas, women connecting with each other about how they can make the world a better place with their words.

I've tried to do that here - not always with rousing success because I'm human and sometimes I just need to complain - but there's something to be said for making an effort. :) This is not about trying to be perfect but instead about recognizing the beauty in imperfection. It's the Wabi Sabi element, the fact that we are all united impermanence and imperfection, if nothing else - Our lives are not perfect.

At first, I was reluctant to take on the 'positive' label because all too frequently, that really means "put the rug over the ugly stuff and pretend it's not there". As a dissident and a fairly aware human being, I can't and won't do that. In this case though, there is an open acknowledgment that suffering is real. It is our response to it that matters. It is our willingness to do whatever we can to alleviate suffering that matters.

One Plus Two Jen wrote this comment last night: and sometimes it's more dangerous, sitting by and watching others suffer and not doing anything, like we do every day by our actions in allowing others to suffer from poverty, homelessness, etc. what about that silence?

It's all about micro and macro. When the unacceptable is acceptable in the micro, it becomes acceptable in the macro. If we are ugly to each other, backbiting and nasty in small ways, it's easier to become callous to the larger issues. If we can be indifferent to each other as individuals, it's easier to become indifferent to groups and to the world at large. Stream to river to lake to ocean.

So here's an opportunity to use our words to heal rather than wound. We can choose to use our forums (blogs - whatever) to promote good ideas, things that inspire, things that make us want to be better people and we can change thinking. We can change the world by sharing ideas, making plans and acting cooperatively.

I'm in.

If this is something you would be interested in exploring further, please visit Staci's site and leave a comment for her.

~*

11 comments:

we_be_toys said...

Good post! I was thinking about this the other day in reference to my own blog. Off to check out Staci!

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this post and your support. Really, it was your comment yesterday on my blog that re-lit the fire to share and invite more conversation.

The word "authentic" is important to me in relation to beauty and positive posting. I myself could not participate in something that doesn't make room for being real. Just not wired that way.

If life can be a process of awakening and cultivating awareness, what's that saying-- pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.

I'm in too. I look forward to traveling alongside you to see where this might lead.

heartinsanfrancisco said...

In the 60's, I was actively involved in the Civil Rights and Peace Movements and in both cases, I was impressed by the fact that we were all trying to make the world better, yet there was a lot of internecine squabbling for power. Many people with good intentions were simply unable to get beyond their own egos. Macro and micro, as you suggest.

"Charity begins at home." We need to treat each other kindly, alleviate suffering wherever we see it, and act in a true spirit of cooperation in ALL our human relations, not just the ones we consider big and important if we are to be authentic and effect meaningful change in our world.

Blogging is a remarkable tool and should certainly be used as a force for good, but I think a little bitching is ok, too, when we are among friends. Displaying our own clay feet can even be the spoonful of sugar that makes the message go down.

Defiantmuse said...

I suppose the only way in which I hesitate as well is because it's hard to say there will never be times when I gripe and bitch about things or feel pessimistic. I'm writing a post about this in much deeper detail so I'll leave most of my thoughts for that but I just wanted to chime in and thank you for writing this post. I am really hoping more people get on board with this idea.

S said...

funny. i think what i wrote today jibes nicely with what you wrote here.

we're on the same wavelength these days, you and i, i think.

S said...

i don't know what word i meant to use, but "jibe" wasn't it.

try "fits"

sigh.

Lu said...

I just had to say your blog header made me want to say OMMMM! Beautiful blog. I just came from Staci's site. She was in my Beautiful Blogging panel and I love what she is doing here.

Olivia said...

HI, Chani,

Thank you for the link to Staci's blog.

I think what I try to do is to be authentic in my posting, real. This will sometimes be negative or ranting or whining. However, I always try to remember my audience and to frame what I share in a way that might help someone grow or learn or identify or something! I am very comfortable with this style and would blog in no other way. I think you do a FANTASTIC job of this, BTW.

I may never have a huge blog readership, but that's not what its about for me.

Chani, you continue to write quality posts like this with regularity, which is something I long to emulate. I get the quality sometimes, or from time to time regularity, but so far not the two together...yet!

Peace, my friend,

O

Girlplustwo said...

great post. authenticity isn't always positive, but being authentic, and fostering a focus on good, it translates, it radiates. it might not be what is wildly read, it's less controversial, but it's more solid. it's the warmth.

i am glad that resonated with you like it did. i think you would have liked that session.

Anonymous said...

I think we have to be honest that human beings are emotionally messy creatures, which means it isn't always going to pretty or smooth or harmonious.

How we deal with those less than perfect moments and situations is usually how we learn, how we discover ourselves and how we grow.

I was just thinking about this post in relation to an earlier one you wrote about the disagreement at the wat. It wasn't perfect; it was messy. It was probably hurtful to those involved, but you managed to diplomatically settle the fuss -- with honest straighforward acknowledgement of the negative.

We live in a world of ying and yang. We can't always control the positive, but we can do our best to turn the negative into positive, as you did.

namaste.

JBelle said...

I left a comment over at Staci's. For me, it's about the light and choosing the light and leaving the dark behind. This will be a lovely discussion.