Signs of Life: Reason to read (to the 'bitter' end)
I am in that phase of life where my lovely deep sleeping habits have been rudely interrupted by changing hormonal patterns. In other words, I'm a restless sleeper. Last night a cool marine breeze and a good set of earplugs let me sleep till 4am, waking only once or twice. Bliss. But at 4am my brain took over and started in high gear. I laid in bed till 5, then slipped out to my office and turned on the computer.
I have been thinking about the community indicator kick I've been on in my blogging. I realized it went beyond indications of group formation and community, to those very human signs of life in an electronically mediated environment. For a moment, I wondered if it would be worth it to keep collecting these indicators and signs and then compile them into some sort of - gasp - book. I don't know. But then I realized that I delighted simply in noticing and sharing them.
I'm curious, dear readers, do they interest you? Delight you? Bore you? Do you hunger to keep humanity visible in our online interactions?
I'd like to know what you think.
In the meantime, here is the first contribution to my signs_of_life tag series. Poetic blog posts. Those moments when you read and your breath is taken away for an instant. They offered you a slice of life that rang that deep chord in your being. Someone connected with you in their writing.
Lace Marie Brogden is a poet to me. To some she is an academic. She also writes across languages. I love her boundary spanning. Here is her post from July 17th.InterLace: "Reason to read (to the 'bitter' end)
'Too often we give up. We stop trying to tell our mothers who we are, and sometimes they leave us before we find out.' (Grumet, 1988, p. 192)
This is not Bitter, this is sweet, sweet Milk.
This is the life/writing/life.
L:)"
signs_of_life
community_indicators, poetry
posted by Nancy White at 5:51 AM
7 Comments:
I'm not sure how interested the general public is in taking note of community indicators but as someone who lives and breathes community, it's part of what I love most about your blog.
And it's always been nice to send a blog post to my boss along with an example of the community indicator you're talking about from my own community. Sometimes it needs to be pointed out to be properly appreciated and explored.
It's also helpful when you're trying to explain why the internet isn't a cold and formal place full, ya know? There are still people who feel that way.
"Do you hunger to keep humanity visible in our online interactions?"
This question falls right into my lap. That I don't know how to answer it, whereas not so long ago the answer was so certain, sums up a dilemma I suddenly, for no reason, feel in!!
community indicators, signs of life? personally i love reading them. even outside my professional life, it has everyday relevance to how we live in a community -- online and off.
oh, and i might have missed this in an earlier indicator (or it's too basic), but I would have to say trust is another indicator.
I have just discovered 'community indicators' which is serendipitous because at the beginning of this week I start thinking about the idea of indicator species which help ecosystem managers safeguard the health of a ecosystem and how they might be a good analogy for human communities.
So, yes I love the community indicators idea. I have found it difficult, however, to find your first couple of posts that describe what you mean by a community indicator, or is it emerging? It would be great to have a post that pulls the ideas together--perhaps a wiki?
I'm loving reading these comments. Thank you. They are very useful for my thinking process.
Shawn, you are right, I have never done justice to the concept so I need to blog that. And putting together a wiki to let others add is a fab idea. I guess it is time for me to get a wiki!
I enjoy the community indicators. They give me new ways of thinking about the answer to "How do you know if you have community?."
In a far off land many moons ago I asked one week for the answer to that question. The garden of answers that grew was as varied and amazing beyond what I imagined. Once they were spoken though, it was a definite "how could I have missed that...she is right!" moment, much like yours. Sometimes when working with community it is hard to see the forest for the trees...or the community indicators for the format. So keep at it.
Nancy, I am humbled.
Merci.
L:)
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home