environment that doesn't work

Hi OM and Meenakshi.

What Marmalade and I meant about the God Pod not working for everyone is that it is an atmosphere of mutual respect and caring. Some people want to argue or harangue and so they don't like the God Pod, they feel it's too namby-pamby, too kumbaya :)

So, in general, we all have preferences and it is impossible to create an environment where everyone is happy.
.
Light and peace,

Nicole

Re: environment that doesn't work

Nicole and I have discussed this matter in different places.  Here is a comment of mine from one of my blogs.  In that comment, I bring up the issue of personality type. 

This issue of fitting in is close to my heart as I myself feel pulled in two different directions.  I was raised with positive thinking and I'm often attracted to positive thinking people such as here on Gaia, but I've also spent around two thirds of my life dealing with depression off and on.  Sometimes positivity just annoys me.  Sometimes I get frustrated with the type of person that puts a positive spin on absolutely everything.

And its a very personal issue for me because I have personally experienced the very different atmospheres of online communities.  I've spent many long hours contemplating and analyzing why conflict occurs, and why certain people fit better into certain communities.

Blessings,
Marmalade

Re: environment that doesn't work

Hi Marmalade,

You help me gain clarity not only on my pod but interactions with certain people who find my relentless positivity etc annoying - like people who have unfriended me or worse like - well, you know.

Thank you. Again, just as one group is not going to please everyone, no personality can appeal to anyone and indeed the stronger the personality, the more likely certain types of personalities will be to run screaming in the opposite direction.

And that's ok! :)

Peace,

Nicole

Re: environment that doesn't work

Thanks so much for responding to my queries, Nicole and Marmalade. I understand what you meant much more clearly now.

And thanks for your personal sharing, Marmalade. I have some theories about depression, we can correspond about that.

I think what you both said will be very useful for many pod mods to contemplate, how it could be relevant to their pod and what they might feel moved to do as a result of this understanding. So thanks on behalf of everyone.

Blessings, OM Bastet

Re: environment that doesn't work

If anyone is interested in how an online discussion group can be open and welcoming to all types of people, then here is an example of a community that has attempted to do this:

MBTI Central

This group  is an interesting experiment. It doesn't do it perfectly as it still favors certain types, but the people there are very aware of their biases.  Part of what makes it interesting is that the group was created specifically to be a meeting place of different types and so there is a lot of discussion about communication styles.  For instance:

The psychology of forum and online dynamics

MBTI Central was mostly created as a neutral meeting ground for the forums of INFP Global Chatter and INTP Central.  What would a pod look like that attempted to be a neutral meeting ground between the God Pod and the Integral Post-metaphysical Spirituality pod?

Blessings,
Marmalade

Re: environment that doesn't work

Hi Marmalade,

That's really good. But the goal of the God Pod isn't to meet all types. We seek to be an online spiritual community which is very different. As soon as you seek to be such, even if it is very open, you will not attract atheists (anti-theists anyway) or people desiring purely intellectual discussions.

The people who really post on the God Pod do so because of the unusual combination of heart, respect, openess, intellect and creativity, within the context of community.

Love,

Nicole

Re: environment that doesn't work

Nicole,
“But the goal of the God Pod isn't to meet all types.”

Of course.  The goal of the God Pod is whatever you make it as you are the cultivator.  :)

“We seek to be an online spiritual community which is very different. As soon as you seek to be such, even if it is very open, you will not attract atheists (anti-theists anyway) or people desiring purely intellectual discussions.”
 
I was referring to types in a general way.  And, as such, I agree that the God Pod isn't specifically designed for atheists.  But I doubt it was your intention to exclude atheists either.  Besides extreme anti-theists, I see no reason that non-believers couldn't participate in the environment that you've created.  Afterall, even atheists wonder about 'God'.  And few people are extreme on either the atheist or theist side of the spectrum… especially in the God Pod where everything is questioned including God.  The God Pod has a strong element of agnosticism and is nowhere near being a haven for extreme theists.  And I'm pretty sure that the God Pod doesn't represent or would be attractive to the majority of believers in God… which is because you are trying to create an online spiritual community that is different.

So, I think its good to question how a pod about God can be open to all people who wonder and question about God (whether theist, atheist, or agnostic).  My guess is that the God pod has had more conflicts with extreme theists than extreme atheists as extreme atheists would probably never join in the first place.  Also, as you say, neither would the pod be attractive to people who are entirely focused on intellectuality (which many extreme atheists seem to be). 

The challenge is how to be open to as many people as possible (excluding extremists).  In a sense, your goal on the pod seems to be to primarily focus on people who are balanced or at least more moderate, people open to both belief in and questions about God, people interested in both the intellectual and the spiritual, the rational and the imaginative, the serious and the playful, contemplation and activism. 

Besides the general sense, I was also implying the more specific meaning of 'types' in the MBTI sense.  How could the God Pod be more attractive to Jungian Thinking types?  Not all NT types are obsessed with intellectuality.  I could be wrong, but I'd guess that most people on the God Pod are NF types.  Why is that?  Are Feeling types more likely to believe in or deeply wonder about God?  If so, then why is our culture's definition of God so biased?  Or is it simply the inevitable limitations of human psychology? 

Also, this isn't just about Thinking vs Feeling.  The Sensing types tend more towards literalism, tradition, and authority… the very things that get questioned in the God Pod.  To an Intuition type (especially NP), many believers who are Sensation type (especially the SJ temperament) might seem extremist or too strongly opinionated.

What Role Does Personality Play in Belief/Skepticism?

“Personality and motivations to believe, misbelieve and disbelieve in paranormal phenomena”

Is there a higher percentage of atheism in INTP types?

Types and Christianity

Criticalness, Integralism, and Type

Sermon on Personality Types

Religion, Spirituality and Psychological Type

The Four Spiritualities

I'm sure that you, Nicole, generally agree with my perspective.  I posted all of those links partly because we had talked about bringing up MBTI in the God Pod. 

Blessings,
Marmalade

Re: environment that doesn't work

Marmalade, you've given me so much to think about. Let's keep discussing this and see what we come up with in terms of drawing an even wider circle.

Thank you so much!

Love,

Nicole

Re: environment that doesn't work

Yeah, Nicole, this discussion will continue.  It interests me.  I'm curious about why people stay or leave groups.  How much of is it personality?  Personality can't explain it all, but its at least a way of getting a handle on it.

After seeing what some responses might be to my present thread on MBTI, I'd like to bring this topic up in the God Pod.  I'd like to hear the perspectives of other members there.

Blessings,
Marmalade

Re: environment that doesn't work

great idea, Marmalade! Yes, do start that thread in the God Pod when you're ready.

Love,

Nicole

Re: environment that doesn't work

Marmalade, to answer the question “why people stay or leave groups”, perhaps we can give our own reasons here.; as this discussion is also for other groups.

The groups I have left, have been those which:

• were too large, so I never did feel comfortable
  
• were inactive for ages, without any explanation from the cultivator.
  

Re: environment that doesn't work

I leave groups which are

not active enough or where I realise I
can't contribute or am
not really interested in the topic. I've also left a group because
 it was too busy and at the same time I did
not feel connected..

Love,

Nicole

Re: environment that doesn't work

Meenakshi and Nicole, I would also list the same reasons as you two.  And I'd add another.

I like groups that have a helathy community feel where actual connection occurs.  I've left groups when I feel I
can't connect with people
or I
can't connect with people in a way I'd like
or where there is
too much turnover with people leaving constantly.

Blessings,
Marmalade

Re: environment that doesn't work

Marmalade, I guess that is part of being NFs eh? If there's no real community, it just doesn't work for us.

Love and light,

Nicole