Why do people here feel unimportant?

No one has any power over you that you dont let them have...

I wish more believed that.

I have issues! I get angry! I feel bad and lonely! I think life sucks! I blame everyone except me!

LIFE ISN'T FAIR! It sucks at times!

I AM IN CONTROL OF MY DESTINY!!! [

size=5] NO ONE ELSE IS!!!!!!!

I think it should be fairly obvious, but it's a good reminder anyway:

No one here is a mind reader.

We are all human beings. At times we might seek encouragemente. At times we might seek a challenging debate. Sometimes what we need is tender love... sometimes tough love works better.

No one will be able to please everyone all the time. It's just not possible. Communication itself is inherently imperfect.

I forgot where I was going with this.

What is this 'love' you speaketh? :lol:

Actually I think love is the closest manifestation of the Force a person can experience, like it serves to mediate a relationship with the Force.. though I'm a bit of a hippie and also think everything is the Force. Love yourself, love your post, love who you post to, pretend the other person loves you too
:huh:

I just wanted to point out I DO have power over you. I can make you think things.


"Camel dressed in drag smoking a cigerrette."

See? Made you think about that.

Now...how you choose to react...

Adder wrote: ...pretend the other person loves you too

What do you mean pretend? I know you all love me

XOXO :kiss:

“Maybe it’s time to stop not doing what you pretended you can do and can’t, and start doing the thing that you can’t do, but can no longer pretend that you can.” ~ Strangers With Candy

I happen to agree with every point made in Adi's post. I do have some more input, though.

People here simply don't accept new ideas. I've been ganged up on in chat for discussing many of my interests, and seen it happen to others as well. I've never been able to understand devout skeptics, but maybe it's just because of my curiosity for odd things. Still, the only reason why someone who claims to speak the truth would not give their intellectual opponent any thought or concern would be because they don't want to accept new ideas. I think that can change. It shouldn't be dismissed, and calling it "conspiracy" is only an excuse not to listen.

The nitpicking. I've gotten banned from chat from getting to the point where I did the very thing I hate: Every single time someone made a small point or argument, the whole chat would gang up on them and it would turn into a whole dramatic, one-sided, close-minded argument. This happens over disagreements in definitions of words, people bluntly dismissing another person's idea (which is very insulting) and someone bringing up a subject nobody likes. The chat community has gotten to the point with me, where every time I say something people silently go "RYDER OPENED HIS MOUTH! SCREENSHOT IT AND REPORT IT!"

The ignorance. I've seen this from knights as well. It does seem like a cult, because people will start saying metaphorical nonsense and reciting things they made up on the spot in order to put down your beliefs. They will deny simple facts of life. They'll start reciting things from their own code of honor. And then afterwards they claim it's all just up to your own interpretation.

As a summary, I'd say this community needs to be a lot more accepting of new ideas. Our motto should be "You'll be welcomed here as long as you keep your mouth shut and your head down and don't make eye contact with a knight."

Ryder wrote: As a summary, I'd say this community needs to be a lot more accepting of new ideas. Our motto should be "You'll be welcomed here as long as you keep your mouth shut and your head down and don't make eye contact with a knight."

Generally I would agree with the need for open communication and new ideas, but there is also a need for continuity of the current idea. The mission of this Temple is informed by the Doctrine. The Doctrine and the Initiate Program rely heavily on influences from various religions, mythology and the writings of scholars and philosophers that came long before any of us. This has created a solid foundation that has worked well to establish TOTJO as a place many of us have chosen as a spiritual home.

To incorporate new ideas is fine if those ideas mesh well with what is already here. The goal should be to improve and enhance the community as a whole, not simply to accept that every new idea must be considered. That is why the leadership here respectfully asks members to first read the FAQ and then decide if they wish to proceed with the Initiate Program. It is not unreasonable to ask that people learn about the Temple before requesting wholesale changes or presenting new ideas.

I have raised issues of my own over the years, only to discover that the conversations have been had over and over and a resolution had already been reached. It is not polite to dismiss someone out of hand, but it is also not fair to expect those who have been here much longer than we have to address every one of us when we believe our new idea demands attention.

I do not get along perfectly with every Knight here. There are some who probably consider me an annoying thorn in their side. Regardless of this, I respect every one of them for the time they have invested to reach the rank and for their participation up to this point. I will do my very best to remember the perspective I had as a new member when I become a Knight and I will try to be open to new ideas, but I will not dismiss a Knight's right to speak from a position more informed than my own. The rank was not handed to them. They are Knights for a reason.

It seems that all of us... ALL of us (self included in that, big time) could use a simultaneous dose of reality and sensitivity.

People make mistakes. Even the person you're arguing with, even if he's a Knight or the founder of the order doesn't believe he is a fully realized example of perfection. We need to learn to forgive each other for being human and for acting like piggish idiots sometimes. We ALL do it. Not just that guy who continually pisses you off in chat or that girl that hopped on the clique's bandwagon to start beating you up again. All of us.

When you're criticizing someone else, no matter what they've done, look at your own faults. Your faults might be different, but you still have them, and your faults might be hurting other people. We all need to examine ourselves this way.

Where forgiving each other for being morons from time to time is important, acknowledging our own idiocy is just as important. I apologize for the idiotic things I've done here, whether intentional or not. I know that Adi and I, at least, have had tangles, some of which were because I was being an idiot that day. It was wrong. There is a chance I might even do it again someday when we're arguing, not because I don't love Adi as a human being or respect his opinions, but because I'm being an idiot. I will try very hard to not do that though. I hope he'll find it in his heart to forgive me if I do screw up. I really am trying.

If I could ask anything of the group, Ryder included, as he is the reason I wrote this, I'd ask that we all start examining ourselves and our own faults.

Don't give up on me, fellow Jedi, and I won't give up on you. We are Groot!

Br. John wrote: Well Adi, since you feel like shit and it's all because of a community I founded - I'll certainly take any suggestions on how I can make you feel better? If it's something I can do within reason I'll do my best.

OK. I was reading through this before and I caught sight of this. No offense, but this came off really condescending. Like a store manager being passive aggressive to a customer that has a problem. I can appreciate that sometimes, conflicts occur. But we're better than being condescending about someone's opinion.