I loved the piece and I have a strong personal connection to the theme. I’m rather repelled by much of the online solipsistic / narcissistic writing and I’m a great believer in the show rather than tell style of writing.
I have the same issue. I don't want to share anything online.
But right now, I'm trying to decide if I should be more active on Twitter. I don't want to but there are a lot of benefits (in terms of business) of being having an online presents.
I have always felt the very same way as you do Randy. The guy with no camera is also my idea of a real hero, and I'm glad you shared his story. None-the-less, motivated by the desire to share something of value and benefit to a wider audience, I've made a concerted effort to get over my extreme reticence to share my thoughts, creativity, and work life more publicly online. I took that step also with the fear that I wouldn't like myself for joining the hordes of online attention seekers.
Personally, I've been very pleasantly surprised that the intelligence of the universe seems to pervade all realms, even the internet! The mysterious "powers that be" have seen to it, that despite my efforts, I remain invisible and unknown to more than 8 billion people on planet earth. And of those who do catch a glimpse of me in the digital world, perhaps .0001% of them take notice. Even fewer care to engage. By some magical selection process, I continue to stumble upon rare gems of the human species, and have my own preciousness reflected back to me in mutual regard.
I can honestly say I am deeply grateful to have met and learned something of the lives of this small percentage of our planet's population, you among them, and many others who are writers. And I take nourishment and joy from hearing their stories.
I've been a lone wolf my whole life, keeping to myself, not asking for help, and not being particularly generous with offering it either. This online game has given me a chance to feel like I actually belong to the human community, that I can count myself as a part of a whole, rather than an isolated misfit who just doesn't deserve a place around the campfire sharing stories.
Who knows, I might change my opinion or my mind at some point, but for now, I am absolutely delighted with the discovery I'm making. That sharing myself quite freely does not disturb the sanctuary of my inner life. In fact, just the opposite. As I reach out, something even bigger grows inside. And that something is being given lawful protection in the process.
It is as though I am a tree by nature that has been afraid that by putting out leaves I would endanger my roots. But sending out visible branches only drives the roots deeper, making them more stable, more private, more unknowable. The more I share, the greater the reservoir of all that can never be told about me becomes.
Still, I resonate with and respect your point of view on this. I think there is a place for the men with no camera, people with no diary, no social media account, and not an ounce of compulsion to record, review or inventory the passing of their lives. Just living and sharing the example of their enoughness as they go. We need such people.
For now, I've set that form of identity aside. I'm personally running an experiment to learn the difference between idiot exposure and authentic human sharing. So far, I have been unable to learn that difference by withholding.
Spiky point of view! This seems to be a common dilemma for creators and anyone with a personal brand. I don’t have it all figured out, but experiencing oversharing in my 20s helped me discover the boundaries for what to keep sacred and private in my 30s.
I loved the piece and I have a strong personal connection to the theme. I’m rather repelled by much of the online solipsistic / narcissistic writing and I’m a great believer in the show rather than tell style of writing.
I have the same issue. I don't want to share anything online.
But right now, I'm trying to decide if I should be more active on Twitter. I don't want to but there are a lot of benefits (in terms of business) of being having an online presents.
I have always felt the very same way as you do Randy. The guy with no camera is also my idea of a real hero, and I'm glad you shared his story. None-the-less, motivated by the desire to share something of value and benefit to a wider audience, I've made a concerted effort to get over my extreme reticence to share my thoughts, creativity, and work life more publicly online. I took that step also with the fear that I wouldn't like myself for joining the hordes of online attention seekers.
Personally, I've been very pleasantly surprised that the intelligence of the universe seems to pervade all realms, even the internet! The mysterious "powers that be" have seen to it, that despite my efforts, I remain invisible and unknown to more than 8 billion people on planet earth. And of those who do catch a glimpse of me in the digital world, perhaps .0001% of them take notice. Even fewer care to engage. By some magical selection process, I continue to stumble upon rare gems of the human species, and have my own preciousness reflected back to me in mutual regard.
I can honestly say I am deeply grateful to have met and learned something of the lives of this small percentage of our planet's population, you among them, and many others who are writers. And I take nourishment and joy from hearing their stories.
I've been a lone wolf my whole life, keeping to myself, not asking for help, and not being particularly generous with offering it either. This online game has given me a chance to feel like I actually belong to the human community, that I can count myself as a part of a whole, rather than an isolated misfit who just doesn't deserve a place around the campfire sharing stories.
Who knows, I might change my opinion or my mind at some point, but for now, I am absolutely delighted with the discovery I'm making. That sharing myself quite freely does not disturb the sanctuary of my inner life. In fact, just the opposite. As I reach out, something even bigger grows inside. And that something is being given lawful protection in the process.
It is as though I am a tree by nature that has been afraid that by putting out leaves I would endanger my roots. But sending out visible branches only drives the roots deeper, making them more stable, more private, more unknowable. The more I share, the greater the reservoir of all that can never be told about me becomes.
Still, I resonate with and respect your point of view on this. I think there is a place for the men with no camera, people with no diary, no social media account, and not an ounce of compulsion to record, review or inventory the passing of their lives. Just living and sharing the example of their enoughness as they go. We need such people.
For now, I've set that form of identity aside. I'm personally running an experiment to learn the difference between idiot exposure and authentic human sharing. So far, I have been unable to learn that difference by withholding.
Spiky point of view! This seems to be a common dilemma for creators and anyone with a personal brand. I don’t have it all figured out, but experiencing oversharing in my 20s helped me discover the boundaries for what to keep sacred and private in my 30s.