Voting to ban members

Manu wrote:
No fun in that. This is a forum, after all.

Tempest Nox wrote: I don't go reading people's journals, just to make cryptic comments about how doomed they are for expressing their opinions. To each their own though.

Hmmm... I assumed you would see what I saw, given your accute sensitivity. I was cryptic enough though. The fault is mine for not being clear.

I do not believe you are doomed. Why bother feeding a dying bird, crashing to the ground? I am not the kind to cheer someone else's fall.

What I see, is someone who wears her pain as a badge, but neglects that she casts upon herself heavy chains. The many masks you wear? They are designed only as a desguise from yourself.

What masks? What chains? All I see here is you, thinking you know enough about me to make such statements of fact. You don't, let's get that clear.

Manu wrote: You claim you are reborn. New. Free. Yet with a little poking, the old persona is evoked, the chains rattle and then pull you back into this defensive position. Why defend what cannot be destroyed?

You read me wrong entirely.

Manu wrote: The persona can be destroyed, because it relies on perception. You, on the other hand, are powerful and indestructable.

Be mindful of those old chains, my friend.

I'm not your friend and I don't accept your "advice". It's no wonder though, considering how you decided to approach me here.

Tempest Nox wrote: I'm not your friend and I don't accept your "advice". It's no wonder though, considering how you decided to approach me here.

“Wherever you look there is something to be seen”.

Manu isn't exactly wrong here. Not so much because he knows you, Tempest (he doesn't really have to) but because everybody possesses the traits he's talking about. As long as you're a human being and you have an ego, the masks and the defenses come with it automatically. What you're showing us, Tempest, is not weakness or falsehood or contradiction... It's just your humanity. Your lashing out, your hopes to be forgiven and/or accepted back into the community, your alias, your identity's philosophy, it's all its own version of what everyone else here does.

Proteus wrote: Manu isn't exactly wrong here. Not so much because he knows you, Tempest (he doesn't really have to) but because everybody possesses the traits he's talking about. As long as you're a human being and you have an ego, the masks and the defenses come with it automatically. What you're showing us, Tempest, is not weakness or falsehood or contradiction... It's just your humanity. Your lashing out, your hopes to be forgiven and/or accepted back into the community, your alias, your identity's philosophy, it's all its own version of what everyone else here does.

Thank you for choosing to be civil to me, rather than referring to me as a "dying bird", "crashing to the ground", "doomed" or presenting some weird pseudo psychoanalysis. You have made many points I agree with.

Tempest Nox wrote: Thank you for choosing to be civil to me, rather than ...

There are policies and guidelines in place here to ensure that interactions do not become too awkward or uncomfortable. That said, discomfort is part of the learning process.

I apologize if I came across as a jerk in previous posts. My “poking” is playful rather than hostile. It is soooooo easy to hide one’s self in the online world, and I like to get to know people beyond that which is immediately evident. I do this by “reading” their answers, posting my hypothesis to them, and measuring their response.

In this case, I find you are probably not yet comfortable enough here to feel you are among friends, to lower your guard and be more forthcoming about your feelings. And that’s fine. No one is going to force you to it.

I do look forward to the moment when you do share more openly, however, and even dare I say, to the moment you may call me a friend.

But, of course, no rush. I am glad you are here, and to tie this back to the original topic, I have been, in general, against every ban here (except maybe short cool down periods). We grow from diversity. We are stronger for having you here.

Manu wrote:

Tempest Nox wrote: Thank you for choosing to be civil to me, rather than ...

There are policies and guidelines in place here to ensure that interactions do not become too awkward or uncomfortable. That said, discomfort is part of the learning process.

I apologize if I came across as a jerk in previous posts. My “poking” is playful rather than hostile. It is soooooo easy to hide one’s self in the online world, and I like to get to know people beyond that which is immediately evident. I do this by “reading” their answers, posting my hypothesis to them, and measuring their response.

In this case, I find you are probably not yet comfortable enough here to feel you are among friends, to lower your guard and be more forthcoming about your feelings. And that’s fine. No one is going to force you to it.

I do look forward to the moment when you do share more openly, however, and even dare I say, to the moment you may call me a friend.

But, of course, no rush. I am glad you are here, and to tie this back to the original topic, I have been, in general, against every ban here (except maybe short cool down periods). We grow from diversity. We are stronger for having you here.

Thank you for changing your approach. You are correct, I'm not at all comfortable here yet. I feel as if I'm in hostile territory. However, I'm giving it time.

Furthermore, I don't disagree with my original ban. It gave me time to reflect and be in other environments. It also gave the people I offended distance from me. While there were negative repercussions, some of which I still feel here, I believe it was the correct decision overall.

Tempest Nox wrote: Thank you for changing your approach. You are correct, I'm not at all comfortable here yet. I feel as if I'm in hostile territory. However, I'm giving it time.

Furthermore, I don't disagree with my original ban. It gave me time to reflect and be in other environments. It also gave the people I offended distance from me. While there were negative repercussions, some of which I still feel here, I believe it was the correct decision overall.

I don't know anything about your original ban. Don't know. Don't care (at this point). I take people as they are until they give me a reason to seek an understanding about where certain behavior is coming from, if there's a pattern, etc. Someone who feels like they are mostly good and they flip out, I don't care about all those times they were good. Why are you flipping out right now? Likewise, if right now you're good, unless you were otherwise to me in the past, I'm more likely to give you the benefit of a clean slate.

And in my opinion, I like what I see right now. I could feel a pull on you to go negative in reaction but I think you largely resisted that pull. We also have to understand that we are all part of the equation. We all form a web that helps pull people more towards the dark or the light. If we provoke someone we can't just sit back and say "oh well its their fault for being provoked". No, provoking itself is an action... a conscious decision to create conflict and adversity. I know everyone does not subscribe to same light side version of Jediism that I do and that's okay. But as far as rules go and protecting this community, I think we should all consider our actions as well; especially before throwing (intended or not) stones.

ZealotX wrote: I don't know anything about your original ban. Don't know. Don't care (at this point). I take people as they are until they give me a reason to seek an understanding about where certain behavior is coming from, if there's a pattern, etc. Someone who feels like they are mostly good and they flip out, I don't care about all those times they were good. Why are you flipping out right now? Likewise, if right now you're good, unless you were otherwise to me in the past, I'm more likely to give you the benefit of a clean slate.

And in my opinion, I like what I see right now. I could feel a pull on you to go negative in reaction but I think you largely resisted that pull. We also have to understand that we are all part of the equation. We all form a web that helps pull people more towards the dark or the light. If we provoke someone we can't just sit back and say "oh well its their fault for being provoked". No, provoking itself is an action... a conscious decision to create conflict and adversity. I know everyone does not subscribe to same light side version of Jediism that I do and that's okay. But as far as rules go and protecting this community, I think we should all consider our actions as well; especially before throwing (intended or not) stones.

Well said. I think few realize the impact of their actions (or lack of them), especially their words (or lack of them).