Finding My Way Home

I can't believe I've had this site for two years now! I started in September 2006.

Who would have thought I'd have that much to say? It's certainly surprising. The ebbs and flows of this place, some of which have driven me to distraction at times - the people who have come and gone, the topics that have been hashed and rehashed, conflicts and resolutions... an occasional troll in the comment section, the meta-discussions about how to tell when a site is useful or has met its expiration date.

We've seen each other naked - those of us who have stuck around for a long time, seeing and experiencing each other's fluctuations and changes. We've shared some incredible stuff - some of it good and some of it not so good. I remember the conflict on BlogRhet last summer. We've asked each other the hard questions.

I find value in that, even though it's challenging and sometimes gut-wrenching. I've grown a lot from the feedback I've received here. Some of it changed my thinking and some of it confirmed my thinking - sometimes by good example and sometimes by bad.

The thing is that I am very, very reluctant to give in to the illusion that blogging is a valid substitute for real flesh and blood relationships. It would be easy to do. The evolution of electronic relationships being viewed with the same validity as physical community is disturbing. Real community runs much deeper. Real community is an investment in the lives of others. It's casseroles when someone is sick. It's shared experiences. It's Real Life. It's messy and complex and fun and loving and touching ~ all those things that a computer screen simply can not offer.

This is a hologram.

That's not to say it has no value. It does. I have made legitimate friends through this site. They are people I've actually talked with in the flesh. I know them. For the most part though, this site is just an open forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences. It's a way to get to know what others are thinking in a very safe setting. It's a way of sharing general wisdom. It's a way to get to know how other people live and how they process the world.

I'd like to see that come into perspective as so many people are falling into the trap of technology. Cell phones, Blackberries, blogs, email lists and chat rooms are not reality. They are a cheap facsimile. They're useful tools but they can never be the nuts and bolts of community. If anything, they're a distraction. Just because something is faster and easier doesn't mean it's better.

As much as I enjoy this site, I'm trying to keep these things in mind. It is not a substitute for real community. And I don't want to be just one more byte in the data stream. I want to speak here when it can improve the silence.

What do you think?

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