<b>orthogonal</b>'s post really got me thinking.
This is a nice online place to not necessarily replace actual conversations we may have with others in our own respective lives, but it does give us a chance to arrange our words in a more concerted manner.
Who knows, maybe tony1 is actually as rhetorical and quick-witted in his relationships offline as he is online.
I always like to take a step back from time to time to consider how I present myself to others. Is this really how everyone sees me? Perhaps I'm too aloof (then again, doesn't everyone think this of themselves?) for others to even form an opinion of me.
A lot of times it seems that people want to put some lasting thought into their posts and that impresses me. I sure want to do the same, whether I'm arguing against a certain facet of belief or just listing the kinds of books I'm into. The fact that this is an intelligent board where others can come and spout forth coherence, whether you're for it or not, really speaks volumes about the openness in communication here. Personally, to get responses from posters like <b>tiassa</b>, <b>Cris</b>, or <b>tony1</b> should be taken as a compliment. It's fairly easy to see that an incredible amount of thought goes into Cris' comments, a thoroughness in research supports tiassa, and an exhaustive knowledge of Biblical verse flows through tony1.
Like orthogonal said, I also may not agree with some of the things said at the time, but later on, I'll retire to my own spot and reconsider things. If anything, this site has helped me to be even more sharp-witted. I realize that I'm not going to convince too many others about their beliefs, but then again, so do most of them. It's just the discussion that is the most exciting part. The times when I discover, "Oops! I should have thought about that part a bit more before writing it" or the times when I realize I've made quite an articulate comment on the topic at hand.
Perhaps we have times where we want the conversation to go in a certain direction and, when it doesn't, we start a thread. Balancing comments and diversifying them enough for multiple threads has got to be quite an intellectually challenging exercise.
Naturally, there are times when some of us write in anger, but that is loads better than responding physically. This forum almost makes us control those emotions and direct them into a more viable avenue. And, hell, it gives everyone a chance to say something worthwhile.
One of the greatest things in life (to me) is trying to understand where others are coming from. The slights in their life, the why's of their individual belief system, and the ups and downs. Heaven, to me, would be a place where I could read how others encountered difficulties and how they chose to overcome them, if they did.
Sometimes when I get down (blasted seasonal-affective disorder!), I think that somewhere there's someone else in basically my same position that's decided to handle things a bit better. May or may not be true, but I think it is. Like this site. Somewhere, there's someone that has that original thought of ours and when they write it, that's quite a connection, you know. Like orthogonal mentioning <b>Teri 2</b>'s love of ideas.
Thanks!
prag