quote:

ORIGINAL: Kree


How about spending the time to read through the writings of others instead of scanning them for errors?  You just might find hidden gems that can make you think, search for answers, or know where that person is coming from if the value in the content is examined, instead of the lack of skills involved.     

quote:

ORIGINAL: Kree

just some thoughts:

Not everyone has the talent to express their thoughts and feelings with the written word.  The fact that they have a problem expressing those thoughts and feelings does not make their thoughts and feelings less valuable or less meaningful.  I love writing poetry/prose and have things scattered all over the internet, but that doesnt make my writing more valuable that the writings of others.  When someone makes the effort to show a part of themself with the written word, look for the rainbow, not the rain and storm clouds.  Listen to their heart, not the thunder filling your ears.

A number of years ago on IRC we would invite speakers to present their ideas and thoughts to groups that would listen politely, then ask questions.  Often, we would have more than 100 people in a chat room "listening" to speakers like Gloria Brame or Polly Peachum.  There were so many people interested in poetry that we decided to do a poetry night.  We expected about an hour of people scrolling their writings into the chat room.  Instead, we had over 100 people enter the room and take turns offering their work.  After 4 hours, we finally called an end to the evening.  Yes, there was a difference in the quality of the writing skills.  Yes, there were those whose idea of punctuation and spelling was a distant thought.  In a room with over 100 people, there were comments made about the writings, but the comments looked for the good thoughts... the new ideas... the heartfelt sharing... not the negative.  We all learned something that evening from those who shared and about those who shared.  We all found things in the writings that made us think, question, and discuss what we had read.  How does that compare to threads we see here where people try to force their ideas on others, or knife each other in the back constantly?  What can be learned from the argumentative nature of threads that can not be learned by taking the time to read the writings of others?  Why do people commenting on threads feel they are the end all, be all on every question, when the real answer might be buried in the writings of someone who lacks the skills required to be heard?

How about spending the time to read through the writings of others instead of scanning them for errors?  You just might find hidden gems that can make you think, search for answers, or know where that person is coming from if the value in the content is examined, instead of the lack of skills involved.