Sherri asks an excellent question: Why do we take the heart out of our
postings?
When I post I'm just me. . .perhaps a little more conservative than in
person, but still I think I let my personality hang out there. Jeff
Marchek or Peggy Shadel can either confirm or disconfirm this (they both
know me pretty well). This is actually a new experience for me.
I was raised in such a way that I rarely shared what was in my heart.
Often my mother would take heart-felt comments, and in a fit of anger, use
them to hurt me. By the time I hit my mid-teens I was as tight as a clam.
This caused incredible feelings of loneliness. It wasn't until my early
20's that I began to open up to people -- and then to only a select few.
I still have my defenses, but on the whole I'm just me. . .the way I
speak, the way I think, the way I interact with people. . .it's all
distinctly "Ben." I'm much happier, and I find that I enjoy people more
than when I was living a pretentious life.
But everyday I'm taking a risk; I risk being hurt, offended, betrayed,
neglected, or abandoned. At the same time I'm able to more fully
experience life, to share my life with others -- not just my experience,
but their's -- and that makes life much more meaningful and far more
enjoyable.
I agree with Sherri. . .let's speak from the heart (which I find a good
many people do on the list). We're emotional creatures by nature. . .let
it shine wherever we go!
--Benjamin B. Compton bbcompton@aol.com
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>