Boardlurker? Read this!!

[Chu]

To buz/p, goss, Moonbird and all others who have trouble catching up: Welcome to the club! It is really hard to keep up with every post, SOTT, etc.

In my opinion, it says a lot that you are afraid of posting something that has already been said. It means you care about sharing, not just taking. But it's also a good thing to make "mistakes". There is no silly question you can ask, no noise you can make when you are reading, learning, and sharing. The worst thing that can happen is that you realize that you need to keep reading, learning and sharing. But you never know when one of your posts will help somebody else. Like what you just did: sharing your difficulty with catching up allowed others to voice their feelings as well. The problem only comes when some posters try to "teach" or sound as if they knew everything that is posted here by heart, and aren't willing to learn with us. That's not fun.

So, I hope you start posting more often, and if you don't know everything, remember that none of us do. And that it is by becoming more active that you can learn more too about each topic that interest you, and about yourself.

And you can also think about it this way: When you read a long thread, you see many "redundancies", right? Someone will say the same things in other words, and add just a tiny remark to what was said before. But that tiny point, or even the way that second person wrote it, sometimes may help you understand the subject a bit better. So, it wasn't a waste! The same can happen with your posts, even when you don't have any "special discoveries" or insights to offer.

 

[Ariadna]

This post was helpful to me:

Never be afraid to post, the worst thing that can happen is that you'll learn a little more about yourself.

The best thing that can happen: You'll help someone else learn a little bit more about themselves as well. :)

Thanks Vulcane and Thanks Masamune for bringing these Puck's words to the topic.
Once I got to the forum, I went as one is pulled to a pool.
Then I entered a state of withdrawal. I have thought many times that I can say that probably has little importance and surpassed by many of you. At other times I have been reluctant to show my weaknesses, despite the anonymity. Also language difficulties in expressing the abstract comcept. Ultimately, I guess it is fear, negative self-importance and some laziness or "some haste".
I'll put my best to write more, especially about work on my emotions and my personality. I guess I can only help others if they work well on my own. :)

 

[wanderer]

I've been lurking here for a very long time. I haven't posted because << insert all the usual excuses here >>.

Ultimately, I guess it is fear, negative self-importance and some laziness or "some haste".

Adriana, I'm not sure what you mean by negative self-importance, but for me it's a good term for my aversion to talking or writing about myself. It was only after reading the psychology books recommended here that I understood the damage that narcissistic wounding had done to my psyche.

That's just one example of Sott has transformed my life for the better.

I've followed a low carb diet off and on for the last 30 years. I even had a personal consultation with Dr. Atkins. It wasn't until the missing pieces were filled in here that I was able to be successful. I've lost 100 lbs and transformed my health.

I have had decades of disciplined 3rd way spiritual practice, but it was not until EE was introduced here I was able to affect permanent change. Meditation was like a drug that I could use to temporarily stop the inner pain, but it always returned (probably the vegan diet that I was following had a lot to do with that).

I'm eternally grateful for the help you all have given me, and ashamed that I've contributed so little. I'll have to figure out what value I can bring to the table.

 

[Arwenn]

When I first signed up I was given to understand that a good place to start in the forum was the Health and Nutrition section. What I found was a thread called 'Life Without Bread' which was already over 100 pages long. So I began at page one and started reading. A few pages in I realized that I needed to read the book upon which the thread was based. So I took time out to read the book. It was time well spent. By the time I got to page 100 the tread was now 150 pages long. ( A lot of good information in there, by the way). The point is that at various places throughout the thread I had the urge to contribute something but avoided doing so because it was entirely possible that what I had to say had already been gone over in great detail farther on. So I didn't. When I voiced my problem in another thread I was counseled to 'catch up'. I was caught in a "catch-22". For those of us who find the forum much later it is a virtual impossibility to catch up by reading everything. I don't know if this impedes others of us who would normally comment or not. It sure put the brakes on me. I figure that in order to contribute something worth while I need to find out as much about the discussion as I can, which means reading every word of a thread before posting something of my own. (By the way, that is just what I did in this thread which is only 23 pages long.)

What I have discovered is that in a forum this large, with this many participants, with this much information, one must of necessity break it up into doable sections. It is impossible for me (for instance) to participate in every aspect of the forum and live my life. It is one of the reasons why, at this point, I tend to hover around the periphery and comment more casually than I would normally. I'm getting my feet wet, as it were. It is slowly helping me to become more comfortable in the community.

I have read virtually everything that Laura has written, some of the books two and even three times, as well as much of the other recommended literature. (I'm ready for the next in the Secret History series by the way, Laura). I thought that would be enough to make me a valuable and contributing member of the Cass forum. It isn't. There is so much more. I hope those of you who have been here since the beginning or for some years appreciate how much this place has grown. I wish I had a simple answer to the problem of "catching up". All I can say at this point is focus on your own areas of interest or expertise and start interacting in those areas. In the mean time pick away at the rest. This isn't your father's web site. ;)

Hi buz/p,

I too get that sense of overwhelm, some of the threads especially in the diet sections are over a hundred pages long.

But the important thing is to share from where you are, from your perspective, as you never know just how important your contribution may be! We network to learn and grow, and as this is a research forum, it is not opinions but evidence based research that contributes to the pooling of knowledge and growth.

 

[zhenqing]

Long-time lurker here. I've reintroduced myself about a month ago, after long time of absence. It wasn't easy, and it was something that I've thought a lot before I took the big step and made myself visible again. Unfortunately, since then I haven't been able to bring myself to post anything. The plan was I would catch-up a little bit before doing that, read some of the new material, and the books I haven't been able to read or finish for one reason or another. But, as always, those were just excuses. A couple of weeks have passed and I did nothing. Well, it's true that I was feeling really tired coming back from work, but I still had weekends. Yet, for some reason the thought of coming here and baring myself again was scaring me big time.

I've posted in this thread before, and I had similar concerns like many others before me and after me, i.e I felt that I wasn't really able to contribute because either my knowledge wasn't sufficient enough, or I didn't want to post something that has already been said, or the combination of both. I remember now that I was given similar advices that Ailén gave to Moonbird.

There is no silly question you can ask, no noise you can make when you are reading, learning, and sharing. The worst thing that can happen is that you realize that you need to keep reading, learning and sharing. But you never know when one of your posts will help somebody else.

And you can also think about it this way: When you read a long thread, you see many "redundancies", right? Someone will say the same things in other words, and add just a tiny remark to what was said before. But that tiny point, or even the way that second person wrote it, sometimes may help you understand the subject a bit better. So, it wasn't a waste! The same can happen with your posts, even when you don't have any "special discoveries" or insights to offer.

It's good to be reminded of that. I tend to think like buz/p, that before I can post about something I should read the whole thread in question, plus maybe a couple of books to acquire the right to speak about a subject. And that may be true sometimes. There are certain threads where you can't just walk-in and share your thoughts and experiences, you really have to know what you are talking about (OSIT), but there are still places you can contribute even if you are lacking certain knowledge like me, or you just got here late.

So thank you all, who have made this thread, who shared their experiences and gave many, valuable advice. I've definitely needed to read this again.

I also have to thank my friend, a forum member as well, who keeps reminding me of the importance of networking, and that I don't have to be perfect while posting or it's not worth interacting :)

 

[Al Today]

[...]
I don't have to be perfect while posting
[...]

I agree with you on that. I also think that if anyone does have "perfect" knowledge, they probably wouldn't be with us here on this Big Blue Marble.
:) :) :)

 

[Olesya]

[...]
I don't have to be perfect while posting
[...]

I agree with you on that. I also think that if anyone does have "perfect" knowledge, they probably wouldn't be with us here on this Big Blue Marble.
:) :) :)

Yes, that's right! I was a long time lurker on the Forum. Thinking back and remembering my thoughts through all this time, now I can say it was a several thing that kept me from posting. The language differences was the one for sure. Strangely enough, I can do pretty good English-Russian translation, but the reverse process is difficult for me. Once I started posting, it gets better and better (well, it's how I see it anyway :)). Another thought was that I don't need to read more first and understand more to start posting. That, as it obvious to me now, not true at all. Reading and posting here and on SOTT page brought so many connections together, even personal ones, that right now I'm in awe seeing the beauty as how all it works. It's like something has opened up in me to allow to see some important things. I can't take credit for that, many clues were present all along, I just didn't see them before, although I was reading and thinking a lot. It was something akin to Reiki initiation I had 9-10 years ago, but on completely different level. I would encourage all to post, and not to wait. Waiting only bring confusion and regret, osit.

 

[Olesya]

[...]
I don't have to be perfect while posting
[...]

I agree with you on that. I also think that if anyone does have "perfect" knowledge, they probably wouldn't be with us here on this Big Blue Marble.
:) :) :)

Yes, that's right! I was a long time lurker on the Forum. Thinking back and remembering my thoughts through all this time, now I can say it was a several thing that kept me from posting. The language differences was the one for sure. Strangely enough, I can do pretty good English-Russian translation, but the reverse process is difficult for me. Once I started posting, it gets better and better (well, it's how I see it anyway :)). Another thought was that I don't need to read more first and understand more to start posting. That, as it obvious to me now, not true at all. Reading and posting here and on SOTT page brought so many connections together, even personal ones, that right now I'm in awe seeing the beauty as how all it works. It's like something has opened up in me to allow to see some important things. I can't take credit for that, many clues were present all along, I just didn't see them before, although I was reading and thinking a lot. It was something akin to Reiki initiation I had 9-10 years ago, but on completely different level. I would encourage all to post, and not to wait. Waiting only bring confusion and regret, osit.

Correction: Another thought was that I do need to read more first and understand more to start posting.

 

[Esote]

Hi there

For a few months I have only been a boardlurker, since I was kind of embarrassed with my last posts ending in a farewell joke as being a "All Natural Nitpicking Bigot", following the reactions of anart and a few FOTCM members...


At that time I wanted to participate in this forum, but obviously it didn't work fine.
This is mainly due to misunderstandings and semantic interpretations (my language isn't English) IMHO.

Now that's one of the reasons why it's uneasy to be able to post something here. You have to read a lot and really engage in the Work, or else it might be considered as mere noise...
Self importance plays a big role, as whether you may accept harsh criticism or fear rejection. And objectivity is such a faraway goal !

Then, boardlurking (together with studying) is a logical solution for most forum members, until they reach a certain level allowing them to add valuable posts for everyone OSIT.
Of course we also learn from our and others mistakes, but still it's better to think twice and know better than posting for the sake of posting...

Best regards

 

[A.K.]

Another thought was that I do need to read more first and understand more to start posting.

Lurker here with various reasons to lurk. Guess the main reason is that i see myself not as knowledgeable & wise as most here. Thus i gather knowledge here & there to which i feel a connection with or whatever i think i need to know. And to start posting a question/problem i faced will only be view as a noise which impede my own learning(not using the search button/doing research) as well as causing others undue stress.

 

[Mr. Premise]

Another thought was that I do need to read more first and understand more to start posting.

Lurker here with various reasons to lurk. Guess the main reason is that i see myself not as knowledgeable & wise as most here. Thus i gather knowledge here & there to which i feel a connection with or whatever i think i need to know. And to start posting a question/problem i faced will only be view as a noise which impede my own learning(not using the search button/doing research) as well as causing others undue stress.

A sincere question is never noise. The only newbie posts that are problematic are from those who come here trying to teach. And even those threads can be valuable for learning. There would be no forum if none of us posted until we were wise and knowledgeable.

 

[Gwenllian]

Another thought was that I do need to read more first and understand more to start posting.

Lurker here with various reasons to lurk. Guess the main reason is that i see myself not as knowledgeable & wise as most here. Thus i gather knowledge here & there to which i feel a connection with or whatever i think i need to know. And to start posting a question/problem i faced will only be view as a noise which impede my own learning(not using the search button/doing research) as well as causing others undue stress.

A sincere question is never noise. The only newbie posts that are problematic are from those who come here trying to teach. And even those threads can be valuable for learning. There would be no forum if none of us posted until we were wise and knowledgeable.

I second this.
I still have doubts as to whether I have something to contribute, A.K., so you are not alone. :) The way I see it: if you start posting on a regular basis people can get to know you and then you will feel more at home. The more you feel at home the more you will post.
Good luck!

 

[A.K.]

Another thought was that I do need to read more first and understand more to start posting.

Lurker here with various reasons to lurk. Guess the main reason is that i see myself not as knowledgeable & wise as most here. Thus i gather knowledge here & there to which i feel a connection with or whatever i think i need to know. And to start posting a question/problem i faced will only be view as a noise which impede my own learning(not using the search button/doing research) as well as causing others undue stress.

A sincere question is never noise. The only newbie posts that are problematic are from those who come here trying to teach. And even those threads can be valuable for learning. There would be no forum if none of us posted until we were wise and knowledgeable.

I second this.
I still have doubts as to whether I have something to contribute, A.K., so you are not alone. :) The way I see it: if you start posting on a regular basis people can get to know you and then you will feel more at home. The more you feel at home the more you will post.
Good luck!

Thank you! Mr. Premise & Mariama for your kind words.

 

[Leonarda]

I second this.
I still have doubts as to whether I have something to contribute, A.K., so you are not alone. :) The way I see it: if you start posting on a regular basis people can get to know you and then you will feel more at home. The more you feel at home the more you will post.
Good luck!

I am trying to post more in order to overcome my fear of posting
I think that for newbies posting is a way of saying "hey, I may not be already there but I am putting effort in learning so I truly appreciate what others have to say".

 

[Gwenllian]

I second this.
I still have doubts as to whether I have something to contribute, A.K., so you are not alone. :) The way I see it: if you start posting on a regular basis people can get to know you and then you will feel more at home. The more you feel at home the more you will post.
Good luck!

I am trying to post more in order to overcome my fear of posting
I think that for newbies posting is a way of saying "hey, I may not be already there but I am putting effort in learning so I truly appreciate what others have to say".

TBH, I have found that so-called newbies are sometimes more knowledgeable than I am in certain areas (or most). Some have read The Wave, Gurdjieff and so on, before they come on board... What I am trying to say is: don't think of yourself as newbies, but as fellow students. We are all still learning, all is lessons.