silverwhisper's tags:
silverwhisper's most popular posts:
silverwhisper reads (735):
Who's reading silverwhisper (777):

on the nature of community

silverwhisper posted on Apr 23, 2007 | views: 773 | Tags: community, Soulcast community, tagging, on the nature of, new member, SC, soulcast, home, trout, kitchen sink, butt of gold, SoulCast 1 Year Old
recent events have led me to conclude that it’s time to revisit the subject of community.

it’s been my distinct pleasure to call a number of you friend, whether that be someone like ladygamer, whom i’ve known literally for years, to those like swizzle whom i’ve known only for a short time. many of us have similar connections with our fellow soulcasters and i think all of us have formed friendships here that are dear to us.

and yet, even for those of us who join soulcast already knowing others, the friendships we have formed here can be more powerful than those of older vintage. indeed, kruuyai's little box is a great idea that can plainly see draws people closer in a way that cannot be likened to anything i’ve ever seen on soulcast.

do you realize how precious a thing this is? i’ve been online for the better part of the past decade and in all the communities in which i’ve participated—some of them even more intensively than i participate here—nothing quite like this has ever happened in any of them. not ever.

get togethers? sure. folks living in the same general region having a party? absolutely! but never something so intrinsically broad and international in scope.

and that to me is what a community is about: a group of people who take an interest in one another. it’s why i am a ceaseless user of the community and soulcast community tags: to identify blog entries that i think affect this community that i’ve come to know and love.

but even more than the little box, do you know what i think demonstrates the sense of community at soulcast better than anything else?

the way that we respond to someone who’s hurting, whether an established soulcaster or a newcomer who’s just published his or her first blog entry. i mean, sure, the established soulcaster will likely get comments faster than the newbie, but both will get support—i see the truth of this practically every single day here.

this is a precious thing, soulcasters. haven’t we all witnessed ourselves the transformative power of a supportive comment at just the right time? indeed, haven’t we all gotten a well-timed kind word at one point?

to me, that is the nature of community. at some point, we all hurt, and the person to whom you offer that word today may be the person who returns that favor tomorrow.

and those who would threaten it are the ones for whom i reserve my distaste.



so what to you is the meaning of community? is it as i suggest or is that just the misfiring of neurons producing a conniption of keystrokes? or am i onto something here? or perhaps this sense of community of which i speak is false? comment and let me know.

ed

send to a friend del.icio.us Digg reddit StumbleUpon

Comments

  • fearing said on Apr 23, 2007....
    Ed, wonderful post!  I agree, this is a very supportive and caring community.  I am not part of any other so I have no reference point.  A couple of years ago I did have a very short lived blog on another site.  Never had anyone comment.  I'm not sure anyone even viewed it.  I do know that people here reach out to others and I have found that very inspiring.  I have found it addictive!  :-) 
  • beyondtheveil said on Apr 23, 2007....
    Ed- In searching through the web I have not found anything close to SC which is the reason I've never belonged to another. I feel this is definately a community. There is give and take covering all areas and through this interchange I have seen an amazingly few cases of derogatory people. Considering the number of participants this is quite uplifting.
     
    To me, a community is interchange at all levels, and I see this every day with people exposing their hearts and receiving needed support.
     
    People needing friends, discussion and debate, its all here.
  • lioneljay said on Apr 23, 2007....
    I've said many times that what keeps me returning to certain places on the web is the sense of community. Like you, ed, I've been smiling at the "Little Box" blogs and the joy that it has been bringing to people here. The support function does prove a community, I think. I've seen such things happen elsewhere and it's a truly humbling experience to feel the support of people you've never met. My life is relatively easy in comparison to what so many others here experience - no family traumas, no major illnesses to report - and yet when I've told of being down for one reason or another I've always been showered with encouraging words. This community-building function is one of the features of the web that I think will persist - and it may eventually change the sense of distance that we may feel as citizens of different countries. It may, as many before me have already suggested, change the world.
  • mom said on Apr 23, 2007....
    Ed-I have stated a few times about how I feel about SC.  The people here are always supportive and caring.  We are an online family.  I know that a lot of us take some of the heartache with us when we turn off the computer.  I know I have stressed offline over people, I go throughout my day thinking and wondering how people are.  I know  others are like that too.  I have had people show  real
    concern for me.  We might argue about somethings or not see eye to eye but we don't let it come between us.
    There have been times we have shared in each others joys, accomplishments, sadness.  I keep comng back because of you guys.
  • dailyachesandpains said on Apr 23, 2007....
    Ed, I almost cried reading your post!  This place is a community.  It's like our own little "town" but no Mayor or Governor!  I can't tell you how many times I've gotten those comments at just the right moment. 
     
    When one hurts, I feel like we all share in the pain.  We all hurt.  Together.  When one has joy, we're all happy.  Together.  We can just rant and not suffer any backlash, just letting it out of the system is good enough.  Things we wouldn't tell our own "family" we can say it here, with heart. 
     
    Little Box has certainly brought so many people great joy!  Even those who have yet to receive her, are smiling ear to ear!  I'm so happy Kruu agreed to start Little Box, and ran with it!  I don't think any of us would have even thought she would bring so many smiles!  Or, if she would have lasted this long! 
     
    I just love this place and I found it at just the right time!
     
    I <3 you all!
    {{{hugs}}}
    Daily
  • silverwhisper said on Apr 23, 2007....
    fearing: o, i'm an old hand at soulcast addiction. :>

    beyond: i've seen one or two like it, but never to the same degree as here with this many.

    LJ: that's a very interesting point re: the potential of community-building. very interesting one indeed.

    mom: and you gotta know i feel the same about this place that you do. :>

    daily: you know, i've never thought of it that way before--our own town but without a government per se (well, excepting soulcast proper)...and you know, when i've been down, someone has always been there with a ready comment for me, too. i love this place, too. :>

    ed
  • muckpar said on Apr 23, 2007....
    Well said, well said indeed.
  • secretsubmission said on Apr 23, 2007....
    Well SW I would have to say that this has been a very nice experience for me being new to soul cast the reception has made me feel welcome. The posts and responses here show support and friendship and maby its just the blog's I read but very little in the way of judgment. This place and the people here feel like we could be good friends. When im not at the computer I wonder what every one has writen while I was gone and am excited to get back to see. So I guess the people here incite feelings of comunity.
  • PAPERBACKWRITER said on Apr 23, 2007....
    Hi Ed!

    Funny thing, last night I was a bit melancholic, and to overcome it,  I combed through the blogs of the most popular members from virgin blog to most recent [ I am fast reader, lol].  Starting with you naturally - ermmm you are at the top - I am anal I do things chronologically :D, until the newest newbie I could find.

    Remember, as I was a newbie I have been asking quiet incessantly about the early days in SoulCast.  In awe of all of you! Most specially HBC.  Now he is back to everyone´s delight - well and making his supportive spirit very much felt.  I dunno, still give me goodie goosebumps. . .like coming to full circle. . .just right after SC anniversary and all ;   ).

    I was laughing, crying, grinning. . .I felt as if I was looking through/browsing/watching  the virtual SoulCast album/video: fastforward kinda flashback, and again to the present.  The interaction, the love and friendship, the drama of life; simply amazing.

    SC is only a year old, to think!  I am so glad I am a part of it, even though I tend to appear and disappear.  In SC one is always warmly welcomed back like the proverbial prodigal son/daughter.

    I hope to be around for the next years, , ,even just by the sidelines, I love being a part of something good, making a difference in a small way.  And as you have said, I count myself as one of the lucky ones who benefitted from the positive spirit of the SC community.  Now, I want to return the gesture. . .little by little.

    As always you feel the pulse, bro...

    Warm regards,

    paper~

  • biglove said on Apr 23, 2007....
    I was thinking the exact thing as daily right before I read hers....it is like a town. I'm new to SC and everyday I can't wait to get here. Every since I got married and had my son it seems like I have no friends, it's lonely, no one calls anymore...since I've been on SC I feel part of a group and I look forward to getting to know more of you. I really like how we can discuss serious issues and have a difference of opinion and still be civil about it, and except that everyone is an individual...that is a community to me.
     
    this is a great Ed ;))
  • mom said on Apr 23, 2007....
    Biglove- I am like you.  We can read about someones trials and then maybe a day or two later ask how  that person is dealing with a situation.  Words don't go in one ear and out the other. Or I should say in one eye and out the other. :)
  • skald said on Apr 23, 2007....
    I was thinking something very much like this yesterday and maybe I will bolg about my thoughts in that line sometimes. 
  • botoni said on Apr 23, 2007....
    Ed ..... You are, if not the heart of SoulCast, certainly a vital organ. SoulCast is my first adn only blog home. When I came here not long ago I soon felt overwhelmingly welcome. The pulse of SoulCast beats with all of us. When there is tragedy we feel it, when there is discord we feel it, when there is joy we feel it.
    Community is found in many ways. We each are part of several communities, the place we live, the places we have membership (churches, charities, fraternities), our families and for some even our sexual orientation. In each of those communities we find acceptance at some level. I m very sure for some SC is their only source of contact with other people. We are unique community and every SCr adds to the mix that makes SC what it is. The bonding that Little Box personifies is a truly significant demonstration of the qualities that are manifest here.
  • silverwhisper said on Apr 23, 2007....
    muckpar: thank you, sir.

    secretsubmission: as you can see, i don't believe that your experience here is unusual. heaven knows it was mine when i first arrived here. :D

    paper: now now...no awe over there. we're all just people. it's just that some of us have been here a little longer, that's all. :>

    biglove: i suppose that it's actually rather a lot like daily said, isn't it? just about everyone here is the same way, too, you know?

    mom: we all do that, i think. :>

    skald: i look forward to it.

    botoni: whoa whoa whoa--soulcast is much bigger than any one soulcaster. even one as omnipresent as me. :> but otherwise...well-said, sir!

    ed
  • 4everiamme said on Apr 23, 2007....
    I am still new to soul cast, a few of you members have done a nice job of welcoming me.  I look forward to feeling the full force of this community that you all speak of.  It looks like I choose the correct blogging site to become involved in.  Hope that this community will welcome me in.
  • Grantlin__Graham said on Apr 23, 2007....
    It was a nice post. Well thought out. Are you running for an office of
    some sort? Do they have elected positions on here?
  • mom said on Apr 24, 2007....
    I believe Ed is the Godfather of SC, the voice of reason :)  Ed is the welcome wagon of cyber world. :)
  • CreativeWoman said on Apr 24, 2007....
    ed,
    I agree wholeheartedly with the sense of community and the idea of it being our own little town.  I know that I have evolved as a person here.  I couldn't have done it without my friends at this wonderful place.  It feels like home.

    CW
  • mom said on Apr 24, 2007....
    Hi CW- I love this place too, I have evolved since coming here. I used to be sane.
  • The_three_F_words said on Apr 24, 2007....

    Crying the whole time, don't you k now.  The last "community" I belonged to was the military, and I really miss it. It's been 9 years since I retired.  I don't fit easily in too many places, but here, this place has been a solace, a haven, a place where I can be. 

    When I sign into Soulcast, it's like walking into a warm, cozy room.  The lighting is low and soft.  I find a comfortable spot, preferably along the side somewhere and start to read (observe).  Sometimes I just read (listen) and learn, understand, feel.  Other times I am compelled to respond.  Would you be surprised to know I am SHY!!! 

    Here, for me, it is about what's inside of us, not the outside of us.  Our best and worst feelings, ideas, beliefs, attitudes.  If a community could be like this in all aspects of human contact, then maybe that's heaven.  For know, soulcast is my little slice of heaven.  Thanks, all of you who do what you do,  just because you are who you are. 

    One of my favorite quotes of Gandi says it all about this place: 

    "We can have private opinions, but why should that bar the meeting of hearts?"

    Love ya all,  Mica

  • lightuponlight said on Apr 24, 2007....

    Hello-

    I am very new to soulcast.com, actually to the world of blogging for that matter. Its wonderful to finally be able to write about things where someone smarter then yourself will respond. I posted a pretty heavy entry on Muslims last night and the kind of responses I got were not only thoughprovoking for me but they really opened up a new angle of viewing something which I would have normally viewed from one side. I am starting to really like this community because its small and from the comments I read to posts, everyone genuinely loves the other and cares for their happiness. I hope my blogs are of interest and provide some food for thought, as the posts on SC have provided me. Long live SOUL CAST !!! :)

  • princessbitch65 said on Apr 24, 2007....

    When I get on the computer the first place I go to is SoulCast, not my email. This place is very supportive and you can say what you feel. I love this place! Thanks for writing a very nice blog Ed!

  • Susmaryosep said on Apr 24, 2007....
    Yes, with SC you can be alone, but never lonely! I also think as SC develops, it will aid the senior bloggers even more than the youthful ones, offering the aged ones more than solace,.... warm companionship. Though living alone and maybe deserted  by your own children, it will not be so lonely anymore!!! 
  • AlisonMarie19 said on Apr 24, 2007....
    Even though I'm relatively new, I find that I enjoy coming here daily. Most everyone has been welcoming and nice. Ideas are listened to with much thought, and much support is available for all. I'm glad to be a part of it.
     
                  =(^-^)=   ali m
  • silverwhisper said on Apr 24, 2007....
    4ever: there's always someone to welcome newcomers to soulcast, i find. :>

    grantlin: thank you for your compliments and thank you for visiting my blog! no, i'm not running for an office nor am i aware of any election positions available to members. :>

    mom: i'm the godfather? what, i make soulcasters offers they can't refuse? :> and i'm far from alone in being the welcome wagon here--you've done it too, i know, as have many other of our fellow soulcasters.

    CW: it's been incredibly rewarding to see how you've transformed, my friend. and yeah, it does feel like home, doesn't it? :>

    mica: i feel much as you do, and while i've never seen that quotation from gandhi, it's a very cool one--thank you.

    lightuponlight: welcome to soulcast, and thank you for visiting my blog! i post things here as well in the hopes that someone smarter will give me the benefit of his or her insight. i look forward to reading your blog entry about muslims.

    pb: it was my pleasure to write it and i'm glad you found something within it that resounded with you. :>

    susmaryosep: i completely agree about not being lonely here. :>

    ali: good morning! and you know i agree with you about the support here. :>

    ed
  • mom said on Apr 24, 2007....

    Light- welcome to SC, you will love it here and in a short amount of time, you will become an addict too.  For the most part you will find genuine people that care and support, Sometimes you will run into sour grapes, but those are few and far between.

    Ed- Yes, the Godfather  (Everyone hide your horses!)  When I first started here, you always made a point to comment on my post.  I felt as if I had a friend, and you still are that way.  Thank you.  Maybe you are not the whole welcome wagon but you are the KING.  Hail to the King baby!

  • CreativeWoman said on Apr 24, 2007....
    mom,
    Hi!  I like your form form of insanity.  :-D  I can always count on you for a laugh when I need one and you also have one of the biggest hearts around.

    ed,
    Thank you.  I have never felt so free to be me as I have here at Soul Cast.  There are a lot of good people here who truly care about one another.  And yes, you seem to be our leader.  :-D  You should take pride in that. 

    CW
  • harriedpsychmajor said on Apr 24, 2007....
    Whew, that entry is quite possibly one of the most profound things I've seen you write. And you're absolutely correct.

    When a fellow Soulcaster is hurting, we flock to give them our support, condolences and best wishes.

    When a fellow Soulcaster celebrates, we celebrate with them. They welcome our encouragements as much as we welcome theirs.

    Though we come from so many different places across the globe, we communicate with each other in such a tone of familiarity and friendship, it's as if we were living on the same street. That, Ed, is probably the best definition of community one can supply.
  • mom said on Apr 24, 2007....
    CW- thanks, then i don't have ot pretend to be sane!  Woohoo!  I think you are swell too. :)  Oh that isn't my heart, that was my butt.
  • silverwhisper said on Apr 25, 2007....
    mom: i'm not a king--i'm just this guy.

    CW: now now, i'm not a leader. i'm just a voice in a very large choir.

    harried: i don't know that it's profound--i think i'm re-stating something that all of us have witnessed, if not been a part of, you know? but thank you. :>

    ed
  • mom said on Apr 25, 2007....
    ED- ok, ok if you say so, but I still think you are king/ Godfather
  • silverwhisper said on Apr 25, 2007....
    [trout-smacks mom]
  • mom said on Apr 25, 2007....

    oww, now you stop that!  I am developing a smell, that my husband thinks is fishy.

    Go ahead and hit me all you want but I shant change my mind!  Never!

  • Susmaryosep said on Apr 25, 2007....
    I like grilled trout! 
  • mom said on Apr 25, 2007....
    well you have to get used to a smelly raw trout.  That is the only kind Ed swings.
  • Susmaryosep said on Apr 26, 2007....
    You'll just have to slap him back with your old jogging shoes... that'll do it.. 
  • silverwhisper said on Apr 26, 2007....
    hey, i'll have you know that i change out trout every hour or so!

    [double trout-smacks mom]

    ed
  • mom said on Apr 26, 2007....
    Oww-  *rolls a big 1000 pound walrus on top of ED*  *pant pant*
  • Susmaryosep said on Apr 27, 2007....
    is the big 1000 lb walrus male??? hahahahahah



  • mom said on Apr 27, 2007....
    Sus- lol, last time I checked him out, I love walrus porn, he was. :)
  • botoni said on Apr 27, 2007....
    Walrus porn is wunnerful! Tusk Tusk!
  • mom said on Apr 27, 2007....
    Bot- I have "wally the walrus gets balled".  We should watch it together. :)
  • Susmaryosep said on Apr 27, 2007....
    My, would be exciting, to see the walrus body wrap around him..... am I too explicit? :-)
  • mom said on Apr 27, 2007....
    sus- no not to explicit at all.  I want to see them spoon.
  • silverwhisper said on Apr 27, 2007....
    a walrus?!

    ed
  • Susmaryosep said on Apr 27, 2007....
    Spoon? What is that?
  • botoni said on Apr 27, 2007....
    Here we go again! SMO....spooning is very different than forking.
  • mom said on Apr 27, 2007....
    Ed- yes!  I want to see some tender spooning that leads into some heavy forking.  Ooooooo yeah make him beller!
  • Susmaryosep said on Apr 27, 2007....
    Oooooh! I got it! Yeah I love spoons and forks too,,,, lots and lots of them!!!! 
  • botoni said on Apr 28, 2007....
    Sus......Many spoons to you!
  • silverwhisper said on Apr 29, 2007....
    holy cutlery, batman!
  • Susmaryosep said on Apr 30, 2007....
    What about soup ladles? Can they be used?
  • Susmaryosep said on Apr 30, 2007....

  • mom said on Apr 30, 2007....

    Ed- you are such a cut up.

    Sus- in some instances a ladel could be used

  • Susmaryosep said on Apr 30, 2007....
    Wow! even ladles(UK English spelling) can be used????? Maybe let's just throw in the Kitchen Sink???? hahahahahaha 
  • botoni said on Apr 30, 2007....
    When using the kitchen sink take GREAT care about what slips into the garberator.
  • silverwhisper said on Apr 30, 2007....
    [changes out trout]

    [trout-smacks mom, susmaryosep and botoni in a single, fluid motion]

    ed
  • botoni said on Apr 30, 2007....
    silver.....Just make sure its a rainbow trout thats used for smacking me!
  • silverwhisper said on Apr 30, 2007....
    absolutely, sir. :>

    ed
  • Susmaryosep said on Apr 30, 2007....
    Ouch!!! why rainbow trout?? Are we supposed to find a pot of gold at its 'tail'?? :> BTW whats a garberator? Can we spoon it? hahahahah
  • botoni said on Apr 30, 2007....
    Sus......a rainbow is a symbol adopted by the gay community. They are very common here in our mountain streams.......uhh...that is the rainbow trout in mountain streams. I havent noticed a lot of gay rainbows in them but I ll double check. A garberator is a gadget with a grinder that is attached to the kitchen drain thus allowing some garbage to be processed down the drain. They re mostly wastefull as the stuff that goes through them would be better used for compost. Spoons in garberators are disasterous!......lol.
  • Susmaryosep said on May 02, 2007....
    Botoni,
    Thanks, that was very educational ! I think the next time I see a rainbow, I'll remember to cover my butt, haahahahah
    spoon in garberator......? Sounds like making love to a reluctant tigress!!!! :-)))
  • botoni said on May 02, 2007....
    Sus.....LOL......You ve never heard about the butt of gold at the end of the rainbow?
    Garberator spooning is not a tremendously popular activity. I suspect making it with a reluctant tiress might be more fun.............hehehehe
  • Susmaryosep said on May 02, 2007....
    Bot..... Butt of gold? hahahahahahahah ROFLOL.   But I bet the garberator can do things a Tigress can't do, except try to bite it off??? :->
  • botoni said on May 02, 2007....
    Sus.....you ve found truth! You re an enlightened man!
  • Susmaryosep said on May 02, 2007....
    Buddha is too, an enlightened man! By the way His birthday was on the 1 May


  • ladyinred said on Jun 26, 2007....

    "a well-timed kind word at one point"

    YES. I think that is community. That well-timed word makes you lift up your swollen eyes and realise that somebody, somewhere, wants to offer some tenderness. To you.

    Thank you. I loved this post, Ed.

  • silverwhisper said on Jun 27, 2007....
    ladyinred: welcome to my blog and thank you for visiting! you're quite welcome. :>

    i've seen your comments here and there and have just begun to read you.

    ed
  • Susmaryosep said on Jun 28, 2007....
    What! Have we stopped talking about fishes and cutlery already?? :-)

  • silverwhisper said on Jun 28, 2007....
    do try to keep up, old chap. :D

    ed
  • Susmaryosep said on Jun 28, 2007....
    Forgive me ed, I have dementia, sometimes..... hahahaha



  • silverwhisper said on Jun 28, 2007....
    [filets sus]

    :D

    ed
  • Susmaryosep said on Jun 30, 2007....
    SW,
    Why are flileting me? :-))


  • silverwhisper said on Jun 30, 2007....
    feeling peckish. :>
  • Susmaryosep said on Jul 03, 2007....
    Peckish? My pecker is too! :-))



Comment on "on the nature of community"


(Separate tags using commas, for example: New York, dating, vegetarian)

Cat's outa the bag

travelr712 posted 1 day ago | views: 137 | Tags: community, Meowwww, cults
Or, straight from the horse's ass... read entire post 23 comments

Subscribe to the SoulCast Newsletter To Receive the Best Uncensored Blogs About Love, Sex, Relationships, God, Politics, and More.


Ever wonder what people really think and how they really live?

Read about the real lives of regular people like you whose powerful moving blogs will make you smile, cry, emotional, and warm inside.

Your FREE SoulCast newsletter is just moments away. Receive your first feel-good blog by entering your email address below.

First Name:
Your Email:


You can unsubscribe at any time with one click. We NEVER sell or share your email address with anyone. Period. close