one of the good things about the internet is the blurring and dissolving of societal boundaries -- as we all sit alone, but together, in private, but in public, sharing thoughts and experiences.
if those people who share personal stories can reflect on them and speak thoughtfully about them, and maybe connect them to global issues, well THAT is what will distinguish this board from Yahoo Chats -- and not the absence of "personal stories" altogether.
a more open forum where people are NOT afraid to reveal more of their inner lives can only be that much more rewarding than this place already is. (it will never become Yahoo Chats because there are not many yahoos here -- insert joke about me being one here)
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how do you determine what is an OK personal story to tell here and what isn't? obviously you can't ban all "personal stories" because all the threads about walks in the park and bicycles would be deleted as well. so... what? no sex? no drugs? what about parties? because they often involve one or the other or most likely both.
it's all connected isn't it, our interest in music and clothes and parties and love and sex and psychoanalysis and theory and captitalism and addiction. and if you start censoring parts of it the slide is looking pretty slippery from here.
and I is gonna turn this whole post teal. just because i like it like that.
I think these are valid points, Zhao. I really honestly enjoy hearing about other peoples' experience in life (even if those include drugs and sex) and love to think of very particular human experiences in the context of the political or of theory or psychoanalysis. I've read some extremely interesting things here about others experiences that have really helped build my interest in certain thinkers or musicians. I like it when people post links and zshares of mp3s and whatever, but I also like it when people interact with each other on a more basic level.
I also think it's kind of sad to that people seem to think someone would share something like their lifelong struggle with drug addiction as a way of "oneupping" anyone or anything. Unfortunately, for me, drug addiction has been a very real, very gutwrenchingly painful and difficult part of my life, and yes, I guess I am always searching for others who might relate because, yes, it does help to feel like I'm not alone. It does. It helps to feel that someone else might understand what it's like to have manic depression that leads to things like drug addiction. These problems can be extremely isolating, even in the midst of hundreds of friends, of frequent parties, of workplace interaction.
As anyone who can relate to these problems *at all* will realize, it is imperative to try to keep a sense of humor about oneself and one's limitations. If I didn't poke fun at myself or make jokes or find the hilarity in certain ridiculous experiences I've had, I'd go crazy. I'm forced to confront these behaviors everyday, as any recovering addict will tell you--otherwise, you are doomed to repeat them.
The most important thing in life, in my opinion, is learning about yourself and trying to get better. I have been doing this for a long time. I am not a perfect person, I'm not an especially good person, I'm not someone to write home about, but I do love my friends and the people who have become my support system and, yes, I do often have to rely on their kindness and ability to listen and comfort me.
When ever last minute of your life is a struggle, you do what you can to survive. That is what motivates me ultimately when I post something silly (or something, that by the sounds of it must come off as "deranged" or "imaginary"??--yes, because everyone's firstline of fantasy is to imagine their lives a shitty fucking wreck at 25 with a hundred thousand dollars in debt and no one but their doctors to turn to for help. my fantasies look more like this--i wake up everyday and do the right thing, avoid self-destruction, and don't spend most of my time on suicidal ideation), or when I try to share how my own drug or sexual experiences have intersected with the things I've studied. There's nothing more human than trying to *relate* to others.
If I am guilty of something here, it is of writing some posts publicly that are really meant more for a few people here with whom I feel much closer than the rest and who I think actually understand me. If this is wildly offensive to anyone, I apologize. I never meant to offend anyone.