May 16, 2013
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I’m Not As Bold As I Used To Be
About 4 years ago, I was blogging in my prime. I was known for two ideas that made me and a few others stick out among other Christian bloggers.
1. We were pacifists.
2. We remained neutral to government.I still hold on to these values with a tight grip, but the other few people who held on to these convictions, though they were much more well-spoken and much more thoughtful than me, left Xanga for other blogging sites. Since those days, it seems I’ve lost my nerve. I don’t blog much about peace-keeping anymore, nor do I blog about the distinctions between the kingdom of the world and the Heavenly Kingdom. Maybe I just feel like no one has my back anymore. Or maybe I’ve just become content. Either way, I feel like I’ve grown and come to a place where I realize that not everyone has to think like me. That’s what makes our world worth living in after all; all the different opinions we can explore… all the options of thought available to us… Why in the world would I want another me?
I would like to be bold again. I’d like to stick out again. I’d like to blog like the old me again. And maybe I will… But I’d like to be a less argumentative version of the old me. Maybe that’s what I’m afraid of– arguments… meaningless, pitiful, time consuming arguments… I can’t help myself but feed the trolls sometimes.
Comments (17)
sometimes, i use the feeding of the trolls to my own advantage. it helps me articulate my positions on things. the trick is knowing when to walk away for your own sanity.
I’ve also changed. I’m not into time consuming arguments anymore. They never lead anywhere and I’ve got better things to do with my time. I still debate a little, as you know, but I try not to drag them on after a certain point where it’s useless to continue.
i’m just not as funny as i used to be, haha
Keep blogging!!
Evangelizing is a whole different experience than arguing.
There is an entire universe of energy that pulses through evangelism.
No one can keep their energy up forever. And after a while you sort of get the feeling you are repeating yourself to the same people
sometimes i just blog my opinion on an important social issue. i don’t argue or discuss, i just state my position. someone reads it and takes something away, like a seed planted. i don’t reply to comments, i just speak.–karen
time and experience have a way of changing not only the world but our understanding of it…you’ll catch more flies with sugar than vinegar for sure..Go ahead, I bet a bunch of us would have your back
There are important issues to push and I think that peace definitely is a great issue to push.
We need to push not fighting but learning how to defend. The terrorist like pushing chaos and fighting and the pacifists like pushing tolerance and moving forward.
How do we move forward? When G-d is pleased, that means we are moving forward. There are so many ways to move forward that it is pathetic when we do not move an inch.
Experience is to make us better and more efficient. Do we ignore the lessons from the past? It is a difficult question because inertia is also a big force in slowing us down.
Everyone seems to mellow out as they get older, it’s not just you. I think we get tired of running over the same ground over and over again and just move on.
I sometimes miss the seemingly endless energy I used to have for debates and the like. Getting older, having kids, teaching… All of those things take a lot of time and energy. As much as debating on the internet can be fun, it isn’t as important as the other things. It also gets redundant when you’re repeating the same things to the same people all the time.
@flapper_femme_fatale - I sort of look at it the same way, but on the other hand, it tempts me to not be a very loving individual.
@musterion99 - The worst part for me is always trying to get the last word, as if I have a little more to prove… and that obviously keeps a lively discussion going.
@maniacsicko - I’m a very funny person outside of Xanga… I have a really hard time putting my character into writing.
@Michellereneewrites4Christ - As if I’d go anywhere!
@ImNotUglyIJustNeedLove - I’m just going to call a spade a spade. If you can argue and do so in a loving manner, much like Jesus, I have no problem calling that evangelism, but even Jesus knew when he wasn’t getting through to people.
@trunthepaige - That is absolutely true. I do miss it though…
@lifeontheWink - I would like to just state my opinions. I feel I’m missing out on others when I don’t reply to their comments though :/
@mlbncsga - Yeah. I’m a lot more mellow now, and that is a good thing. I just miss being bold. I’m not sure if I could be that way again… I’m a lot less arrogant than I used to be
@PPhilip - Agreed!
@agnophilo - Yeah. I did get tired of it. I want that energy back though… If I could keep a balance of that energy and being calm, cool, and collected, I’d take that. For me, however, it seems to be either one or the other.
@firetyger - I have a love/hate relationship with debating. I often poke and prod at things I don’t even necessarily agree with to get an idea of how other people think. In turn, that makes me look a bit crazy… haha. And yes, I would rather do a lot more than debate on the internet for hours on end.
@jmallory - There’s many times now where I tell the other person they can have the last word. It doesn’t bother me.
@jmallory - I’m experiencing something similar with music, finding it hard to keep listening to the same songs I’ve listened to for over a decade. I need music that’s both new and doesn’t suck, like that’s gonna happen.
In a world of drone missile warfare, registering to buy sudafed but not guns, and printers that can make plastic weapons and pressure cookers that make bombs – pacifism is much needed. But as with most things, actions speak louder than words.
And as far as commentary on blog sites – its best value is exploring our own opinions and not seeking to sway others. Many are insecure in their own lives, and find a tragically small sense of influence and power …a meaning in life … in trying to engage others in a vain circle of argument with no purpose other than to draw attention to their shallow selves. Not unlike a 2 year old, jealous for his mother’s attention.
@BookMark61 - I always enjoy your comments because they are always so well thought out.