doc benway

@Nungali Try it now please and let me know if it's improved. Thanks

I replied to Earl personally. I would like to share publicly that I do think he has some valid points about my actions here. I can see that I dehumanized him. I apologize for that. I can also see that I'm a bit overly sensitive, perhaps as a result of the prolonged periods of lawlessness and alt-right gas-lighting. Maybe as a result of wanting to do a good job as a moderator. I am committed to taking responsibility for my actions and to trying to understand the perspectives of others, especially when they're in opposition to my own. I will do what I can to try to reconcile with Earl and any other members I've treated harshly or unfairly. _/\__/\__/\_

I think this could be very valuable. Reading criticisms of the mod team in a restricted sub-forum where we are not welcome to respond and participate does little to help us reconcile and move forward as a community. I would hope that concerns about moderation be brought forward publicly, or privately to individual mods, so that we have an opportunity to better ourselves and better serve the community. Of course if people simply want to vent about us there is always PM and email. I can see that I have been overly reactive in the recent past and I am committed to turning this around or stepping down. I’m not here to be a tyrant or because I’m on a power trip. I simply found the alt-right DaoBums and the wild wild west DaoBums untenable for me so I decided to get involved to try to improve conditions here. If I can not do better by all of you I am happy to pass the torch. I’m not referring to myself because it is all about me, simply because I can only speak for myself. Given the openness of communication going on right now, I feel we have a real opportunity for progress but it will take a little flexibility and vulnerability all round.

I appreciate the detailed reply and I would like to take some time for genuine consideration of your points before I respond. I hope the discussion does not end here as I have not yet given up on the possibility of reconciliation, not only with you but with anyone who feels that I'm acting unfairly whether as a mod of member. _/\_

I was already doing that. I could feel myself being dragged out of (into) the water with a giant hood through my jaw, fighting for my life, terrifie. Then to have someone hold me, turning me over, looking me over, then tear the hook out of my jaw, all as I fought for air... Then tossed me back, all for a few minutes of fun and to feel like it was some sort of skill... I would be ok to do it if I needed the food and had no alternative. I can no longer derive any pleasure from the experience at all...

I had this realization while engaged in one of my (formerly) favorite activities - fly fishing. I used to absolutely love everything about it. One day I felt as if that beautiful fish in my hand, struggling for breath, twitching and suffering was me. We share that same life essence. I felt its fear, its abject terror, its life force. I felt absolutely no right to subject it to such abuse and horror. I've never fished since, don't think I ever could again.

Interesting that you make this suggestion in a post addressing direct and indirect personal slights... Do you really expect me to want to read a topic in a forum where I am expressly unwelcome and not permitted to respond? How do you think that makes me feel? Do you think it makes me want to explore the deep insights of the elite group from the sidelines? On a related note, I am giving some thought to whether we should permit such elitism here. It seems harmless enough but can be hurtful and offensive to the excluded crowd. I personally find it to be in strong opposition to the spirit of the forum. Perhaps a topic for another thread, at very least a moderator discussion. The problem of members offering unwanted input is easily remedied with the ignore function. I think you're correct. And these issues are magnified by the digital and anonymous medium. You're quite welcome. I'm very glad what I said was helpful and I'm sorry I came across as a dick. I'd love to see what was said for my own education if you happen to remember the thread. You make some valid points. Another valid point for me is that it is not up to you or I to determine how thin or thick-skinned a member should be. They are who they are. Hopefully they are here because they are working on themselves. Likely they are here because they are struggling with challenges in their lives and are looking for guidance, support, and community. Another consideration is that defining who is thick and thin-skinned may not be as easy as you make it sound. We may or may not agree on who qualifies for those labels here. I appreciate your attempts at supporting reconciliation. I genuinely want the same thing.

That was then, this is now. You have a clean slate with me. Ironically, I’ve been your biggest advocate in mod discussion about this current issue. At your request, however, I’ve now recused myself. I don’t feel that way at all. You are welcome in the main forum and I enjoyed seeing you participate recently. I was not a mod at the time and generally stay out of the fracases. I have respect for several folks involved in that one and so I mostly kept my head down. I do recall defending you in one of those threads as someone I did not feel should be banned. I also supported (maybe even initiated, can’t recall for sure) lessening your suspension when it occurred. I don’t recall attacking you but my memory isn’t what it used to be. That’s good to know but the recent activity has included trash talking by you and others about members and mods in a restricted area where they are not welcome to defend themselves. For me, that is a problem. I have no crusade and feel no vitriol. The main reason I am here is because I really like some of the members and consider them friends. Honestly, if any other member did precisely what you did I would respond in kind. You are exerting a huge amount of energy to making this about me, the forum, the mod team, anything but you. How easy would it be to simply look at the facts and say, ‘oops, sorry folks, maybe it wasn’t right to call other members stupid idiots in an area where I can prohibit them from defending themselves. I’ll try to rein it in a bit.’ That’s all good stuff and does mean something to me. It doesn’t, however, give you immunity. If it’s too late, so be it. That’s your choice. Actions here in this thread? I simply shared the quote from your ppf to show you the insult we were reviewing when you denied insulting anyone. I felt I was doing you a favor by being transparent and giving you the opportunity to respond. As I said, you have a clean slate with me. I’ve already offered an apology and I’ve advocated for you in mod discussions. You seem to be demonizing me at this point, which is fine. I can handle it... tough hide and all. I’ve mentioned nothing of the past in this thread, that’s all you. Done and done If anyone has poisoned my fellow mods, it is not me.

While you may not be prolific, your contributions are major as far as I’m concerned. When you take the time to post, I generally take the time to read and think about what you’ve written. I am glad to hear you intend to continue and that our little community here is valuable to you. This point deserves emphasis. Unfortunately, much conflict here has that flavor to me. Hopefully we can support a shift in that.

Coming from the perspective of “relative truth” I would agree completely. When we dabble in the “absolute truth” things get a bit more tricky due to the nature and characteristics of the non-dual experience and concepts like co-creation break down. But the cool thing is that both of our views seem to dovetail in your final phrase - “neither the "source" nor the "recipient" but both simultaneously.“ I once read some relatively technical but reasonably comprehensible papers about how our spherical eye and the neurological processes that interpret the raw data create a visual image which is profoundly different than what would otherwise be the appearance of our environment. Can’t recall the references at the moment but I’ll post if I can dig them up.

A wonderful illustration of something I recently mentioned in another thread, namely my view that our mind/brain creates our reality. Also comports well with one of my primary practices. Our tendency is to focus on the “positive spaces” as you so aptly describe, the activity, the stuff that fills space, obscuring the yin. My practice uses techniques to bring our focus more to the yin, the “negative space“ that allows; bringing the awareness to a place where the space and what fills it are more in balance.

Seems like my attention was drawn to the darker areas rather than the lighter. Drawn to the activity rather than the open areas that frame and define it. I think an image like this feeds our tendency to narrow our focus rather than open it. Silent thunder recently posted about our attention's tendency to reach out and grab rather than sit back and allow.

iron

Just sharing my perspective. You are welcome to your own. I have no interest in convincing you of anything. Precisely Sorry... Wouldn’t want that now would we?

Fuck yeah!

We will have to agree to disagree... My moderation is based on our rules. If someone is given moderator privilege in a sub-forum, then goes on to insult anonymous members of our forum and permits others' insulting of members here by name, while restricting any comments from moderators or those who are targeted, I feel an obligation to respond. If you don't agree, that is your prerogative. Actions lead to consequent actions, it is a very simple, descriptive observation. We can call it something else if that makes you feel better. Each of our realities is created by our mind, entirely. Simply my own view of our condition. A very defensible position for another thread, perhaps.

Contempt? - the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn. Please bear in mind that we’re talking about comments made in an elitist and restricted sub-forum set up by Earl where all unwanted comments are excluded. I’m much quicker to intervene to defend those not given a voice... that’s karma. The universe is what we make of it. If you felt that from our previous interaction, I genuinely apologize. That’s not what I intend to convey at this moment or in the future. I acknowledge that I can be harsh. I promise to abstain from any decision making on this topic if that helps any. I trust the team 100%

That might have been a good approach. 👍🏼 What a lob! Must resist.... 🤐 🤣 Thank you for that... a little patience please. Constructive feedback is helpful. Did it feel like I was shouting? 😉 Does he take MasterCard? 🤣

cyber

This is one comment that was reported and is being reviewed. We’ll let everyone know when the review is complete. Thanks for your patience.

“one idiot says that it's all part of individual self-discovery, even having the stupidity to say that everything at one point was New Age--which shows me...” wrong, forum rules apply in all PPFs and are enforced by mods!!!!! 😘

Me too....

waxy

vulnerable

The first mode of seeing you describe sounds a bit more like visually grasping. The second seems more like visually allowing. If you ever practice meditation with eyes open, this develops into a complicated dance of the "eye sense" which takes time to settle.