Gaia: Gaia Networking~Enhance your Community Experience - Community: Pleasures, Pains , Panacea - Inspiring thoughts about community

Re: Inspiring thoughts about community

http://Meenakshi.gaia.com — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:42:02 GMT

I have amazing news for you. Man is not alone on this planet. He is part of a community, upon which he depends absolutely.
Daniel Quinn
Source: Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit, Page: 101

Contributed by: David Pearson

Today's hottest quote

Re: Inspiring thoughts about community- humankind knows

http://dragonsbeard.gaia.com — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:41:59 GMT

....very much worth the visit and the time to watch the video. This is a remarkable event unfolding....
Thank you, Kathy!!!

Re: Inspiring thoughts about community- humankind knows

http://Meenakshi.gaia.com — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 04:28:42 GMT

Kathy, Gaian extraordinaire, and a mod on this pod; has brought to mind the larger community of groups and organizations that are showcasing the transformation on earth.

EYE OPENING DATA - humankind knows...

Posted on Jan 13th, 2009 by ~KES

Re: Inspiring thoughts about community- expectations

http://Meenakshi.gaia.com — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:56:09 GMT

This would help if we find we are upset with others in online or offline communities:

The Sage therefore is occupied only with that which is without prejudice.
He teaches without verbosity, he acts without effort; he produces without
possessing, he acts without regard to the fruit of action; he brings his
work to perfection without assuming credit; and claiming nothing as his
own, he cannot at any time be said to lose.
(Lao-tse, `The Adepts in the Eastern Esoteric Tradition')

I do not expect anything from others, so their
actions cannot be in opposition to wishes of mine.
(Swami Sri Yukteswar, in `Autobiography of a Yogi')

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered,
LOVE THEM ANYWAY
If you do good, people will accuse you of
Selfish, ulterior motives,
DO GOOD ANYWAY
If you are successful,
You will win false friends and true enemies,
SUCCEED ANYWAY
The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow,
DO GOOD ANYWAY
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable,
BE HONEST AND FRANK ANYWAY
What you spent years building may be
Destroyed overnight
BUILD ANYWAY
People really need help
But may attack you if you help them,
HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY
Give the world the best you have
And you'll get kicked in the teeth
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU'VE GOT ANYWAY.

(from a sign on the wall of Shishu Bhavan, the children's home in
Calcutta, `Mother Teresa, A Simple Path')

Re: Inspiring thoughts about community-chiseled by others

http://Meenakshi.gaia.com — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:26:23 GMT

Interactions in any community can remind us of these thoughts:

CHISELED BY OTHERS

…you are like the stone that must be chiseled and fashioned before
being set in the building…Some will chisel you with words, telling you
what you would rather not hear; others by deed, doing against you what
you would rather not endure; others by their temperament, being in
their person and in their actions a bother and annoyance to you; and
others by their thought, neither esteeming nor feeling love for you.
You ought to suffer these mortification and annoyances with inner
patience, being silent for love of God and understanding that you did
not enter the religious life for any other reason than for others to
work you in this way, and so you become worthy of heaven.
(St. John of the Cross)

The day you make up your mind to smile, you will see that everything
seems to conspire to try to make you cry! That is life. The day you
make up your mind to be patient and forgiving, it will seem that
others suddenly become harder to get along with. That is life. We
are often crucified by others, but their meanness should not affect
our resolutions to be kind. Let others pursue their way; you be
bigger and adhere to your way.
(Paramahansa Yogananda, `Journey to Self-Realization' )

Thus the wise man, indifferent to himself, is the greatest among them,
and taking no care for himself, he is nevertheless preserved. By
being the most unselfish he is the most secure of all.
(Lao-tse, ` The Adepts in the Eastern Esoteric Tradition')

Re: Inspiring thoughts about community- social/anti-social

http://rinabee.gaia.com — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:14:17 GMT

I am following this thread with deep interest, and am looking forward to the insight you will bring, Kathy. As I am dealing currently with someone who shows signs of anti-social behavior in my further extended family, I am largely interested in how to deal effectively with a such a personality outside of a largely positive social network such as Gaia. The effect that her behavior has on people I care about, is upsetting, so I would love to share your tools with them.
At the same time, you are absolutly correct, that ones intention is harder to see in the writings here on Gaia, or any other blog or forums as anti-social behavior is not always blunt and direct, but manipulative and discreet ( at least that is my experience).

Thanks for this thread!

Blessed Be

Claudia

Re: Inspiring thoughts about community- social/anti-social

http://kathysmith.gaia.com — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:48:05 GMT

One can't just label some one social or anti social/a-social

without giving the true test that, when I get done working today I will post.

With writing and not actually hearing the sound of someone's voice, you have to ask them to clarify intentions if it is not clear from reading.

I will get back with the tools for this. One thing I need to say here about ethics -- which is a personal thing. If someone is posting things and causing upsets with more than one person and they have been informed by management and others directly, that individual has been blessed and given a chance to then be ethical. How lucky for those that have experienced this to then see that Man is basically good and can change.

Re: Inspiring thoughts about community- social/anti-social

http://Meenakshi.gaia.com — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:42:26 GMT

Thank you for these very important ideas, ~KES.

What leaps out at me from this; is that to know if some behavior is social or anti-social, one has to know intent.

Brings to mind a question:

How can we deduce the intent of another person from his writing online?

And a sub-question;
Is each of us inherently social or anti-social; or is it a particular post or blog of ours that may be social, anti-social or a-social?

I'd love members' thoughts on these.

Re: Inspiring thoughts about community- social/anti-social

http://Meenakshi.gaia.com — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:10:32 GMT

reposted from: please Reply to Post for this sub-thread.

Re: Comings and Goings on Gaia-clean break, burning bridges
~Kes said 21 minutes ago:

Gaia is a Social Network

An elephant to my understanding is an anti-social behavior.

The social personality naturally operates on the basis of the greatest good. The social personality wants to survive and wants others to survive, whereas the antisocial personality really and covertly wants others to succumb. Basically, the social personality wants others to be happy and do well, whereas the antisocial personality is very clever in making others do very badly indeed.

A basic clue to the social personality is not really his successes but his motivations. The social personality when successful is often a target for the antisocial and by this reason he may fail. But his intentions included others in his success, whereas the antisocial only appreciate the doom of others.

Unless we can detect the social personality and hold him safe from undue restraint and detect also the antisocial and restrain him, our society will go on suffering from insanity, criminality and war, and man and civilization will not endure.

Do not smash the social personality-and do not fail to render powerless the antisocial in their efforts to harm the rest of us.

Just because a man rises above his fellows or takes an important part does not make him an antisocial personality. Just because a man can control or dominate others does not make him an antisocial personality.

It is his motives in doing so and the consequences of his acts which distinguish the antisocial from the social.

Unless we realize and apply the true characteristics of the two types of personality, we will continue to live in a quandary of who our enemies are and, in doing so, victimize our friends.

All men have committed acts of violence or omission for which they could be censured. In all mankind there is not one single perfect human being.

But there are those who try to do right and those who specialize in wrong and upon these facts and characteristics you can know them.

Social personalities are motivated by the desire to help others and do the greatest good for the greatest number. The bulk of humanity is composed of social personalities.

Only about 20% of a race are the effect of elephant type characteristics of behavior. They cause trouble for the remaining 80% out of proportion to their number, and only 2-1/2% in the 20% are the real trouble makers so, that is only about 1 out of 40 to watch out for in any group. Gaia doesn't really have this problem as when trouble arises, it seems that it is being confronted immediately and the person causing trouble fixes right away and doesn't repeat the behavior. I hope this is the case.

I asked one of the teens on Gaia: What about us that are keeping this place going strong and give amazing insights and viewpoints on life?

and the teen wrote: 'ABSOLUTELY! we're the ones chuggin along daily dealing with these silly people.

BE THE CHANGE, not interupt the change.

It's OK to spot the elephant in the room if it is stopping

expansion toward being a survival social network.'

Threatening to leave is not a solution…just a restimulator for attention and not ok.

Inspiring thoughts about community

http://Meenakshi.gaia.com — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:43:48 GMT

On the road yesterday, I was having some deeep thoughts about community in general [being with family can do that to you!] and Gaia community as well; and planned to start a thread in this board..

The rain gods are bringing rain outdoors and power surges that have already caused the computer to re-boot once; so let's hope this goes smoothly! Firefox saved the post I was writing, so, with the blessings of rain, fire and fox, I start this thread.

Please post any inspiring thoughts you have, of your words or quotes from other sources, about:

what community is
the role of individual in community
enhancing community experience
what community experience does for individuals