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'm glad it resonated, Drake. Sometimes, I find myself in a struggle to communicate my message in a way others will grasp it without resorting to too much of that particular style of writing. It seems to be rather popular in many circles.
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.
Rick, your comments are always top shelf but you upped the ante this time. James is absolutely right, this should be an essay itself. What an excellent counter-point to mine. I actually thought of you as I was writing this. Everything you are doing encouraging people to share their stories in order to help themselves and others is one of the best uses I have seen of sharing online.
If more people had your philosophy and purpose, I probably wouldn’t feel the way I do. Believe me, I’m open to having my mind changed. In fact, I’m hoping it will be. Seeing work like yours is a step in the right direction.
I would love to chat with you sometime on this topic. And as always, thank you for reading and for the incredibly thoughtful comment.
Thank you Randy. I’d be very sad if you stopped contributing your brand of authenticity to this crazy parade. You are a breath of fresh air here, and you keep it real, so I’ll continue making my case, hoping you’ll keep sharing with us. And I would love to chat more about this with you.
Rick, would you mind if I use your comment above in my newsletter this week? It was an excellent counterpoint to my essay, and I would like to bring it to my readers' attention.
Hey Randy. It's all yours. I was going to ask the same thing of you re quoting a few blocks from your article for another platform, because I think you are touching on something that is a key issue for many of us who are trying to write on line. I wouldn't repost on Substack though, but for a different audience on Medium if you're cool with it, with a link to your original essay of course.
Randy, I loved this essay. Straight from the heart. I completely identify.
Rick, your sharing here ought to be an essay itself. Such important perspective. I completely identify.
I think the difference is ego-based social media activity that Randy describes (and doesn’t want to be a part of) and service based contribution that Rick describes (and the three of us aspire to be a part of).
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.
Thanks for taking time to comment, Maymie! I’d love to hear more about your experience of over sharing if that’s something you are open to discussing. For some people, sharing everything seems to come naturally and for others, like myself, it feels so incredibly uncomfortable. Did your over sharing come naturally or did you force it?
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'm glad it resonated, Drake. Sometimes, I find myself in a struggle to communicate my message in a way others will grasp it without resorting to too much of that particular style of writing. It seems to be rather popular in many circles.
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.
Totally agree, Mak. There are many business benefits. I just can’t decide if it’s a business I want to be in.
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.
Rick, your comments are always top shelf but you upped the ante this time. James is absolutely right, this should be an essay itself. What an excellent counter-point to mine. I actually thought of you as I was writing this. Everything you are doing encouraging people to share their stories in order to help themselves and others is one of the best uses I have seen of sharing online.
If more people had your philosophy and purpose, I probably wouldn’t feel the way I do. Believe me, I’m open to having my mind changed. In fact, I’m hoping it will be. Seeing work like yours is a step in the right direction.
I would love to chat with you sometime on this topic. And as always, thank you for reading and for the incredibly thoughtful comment.
Thank you Randy. I’d be very sad if you stopped contributing your brand of authenticity to this crazy parade. You are a breath of fresh air here, and you keep it real, so I’ll continue making my case, hoping you’ll keep sharing with us. And I would love to chat more about this with you.
Rick, would you mind if I use your comment above in my newsletter this week? It was an excellent counterpoint to my essay, and I would like to bring it to my readers' attention.
Hey Randy. It's all yours. I was going to ask the same thing of you re quoting a few blocks from your article for another platform, because I think you are touching on something that is a key issue for many of us who are trying to write on line. I wouldn't repost on Substack though, but for a different audience on Medium if you're cool with it, with a link to your original essay of course.
Awesome. Thanks, man.
And feel free to use it anywhere you'd like.
Randy, I loved this essay. Straight from the heart. I completely identify.
Rick, your sharing here ought to be an essay itself. Such important perspective. I completely identify.
I think the difference is ego-based social media activity that Randy describes (and doesn’t want to be a part of) and service based contribution that Rick describes (and the three of us aspire to be a part of).
I’m grateful for you both.
Awesome essays!
That’s a simple and clear way of noting the distinction between the two ways of participating James.
Thank you so much, James! And I completely agree that Rick has an amazing essay here that needs to be published.
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.
Thanks for taking time to comment, Maymie! I’d love to hear more about your experience of over sharing if that’s something you are open to discussing. For some people, sharing everything seems to come naturally and for others, like myself, it feels so incredibly uncomfortable. Did your over sharing come naturally or did you force it?