This whole post is essentially one huge comment that morphed in to a post as it grew to a scale that no comment section was built to contain...
So I was looking at posts in some of the communities earlier today. I do this in order to find interesting posts from people I have likely not encountered before. This is a great way to ensure you are engaging with people outside of your normal circles because as we all know sometimes we subconsciously gravitate towards those people we share thoughts and ideas with regularly.
I stumbled across a post from somebody I met a week or so ago, the title of his post intrigued me so I had to take a look. This was the post from a user named @allover he is a fabulous guy and has recently resolved to step up his engagement levels and when I tell you he has really gone to town with this I am not joking.
Progressive Regression...
The post was simply titled 'Progressive Regression.' As I mentioned the simple title made me want to click it and read more and so I did. It is quite a simple yet profound post and do you know when you have that feeling when you are reading someone's thoughts laid on the page and you're thinking YES! That's exactly what I think!!!
At such times you should always feel compelled to leave a comment, telling the author that their words made you feel something, made you think, whatever the response was within you.
So I began to respond to tell him how I was impacted by his post. Toward the end of the comment I was almost adopting the standing ovation stance whilst shouting much to the annoyance of my Springer Spaniel Holly, who was watching me from the chair next to me "Bravo...Bravo!"
Now if you have ever been a VICTIM recipient of one of my longer comments you may know where this story is heading... Long story short as I approached the 700th word I realised that I had gone a little over the top again as I still had plenty left to say.
So I decided to do something I have done a handful of occasions before and write an open-response to the post by way of a post. This has the added benefit of making you aware of a really good guy who exists among us who you may not have had the chance to meet yet. It also gives a little more exposure to his post and as I said I found it profound and more than a little thought provoking, maybe you will too...
Oh now my friend! These words really speak to me!!!
You are echoing sentiments here that form the basis of many conversations I have had over the last few years. These conversations often meet blank stares in 'so called' real life. I am interested in technology. I understand some of the areas of progress have improved our lives exponentially. I hope we continue to make great strides in many areas where answers must be sought...
BUT...
Do those who exist at the very pinnacle of technological advancement really need to spend millions of dollars and tens of thousands of man hours to make the new whyPhone iPhone A 200th of a second faster at retrieving the McDonald's website when we search for it??? Does Amazon really need to shave another 15 seconds off their delivery time? Are people really that impatient nowadays that any delayed gratification whatsoever is agonizing to the point of hyperventilation and subsequent, but quite imminent, collapse?
Imagine the real world problems they could be working at solving, they could be utilised to eradicate poverty, hunger and disconnection? Why is there still places that exist without clean drinking water in 2020? Why do children still die from absolutely preventable diseases in some of the most impoverished regions of the world
People find it insane that I buy books! I am constantly bombarded with helpful suggestions about downloading the book from 10,000 different websites whose sole-aim seems to be to abolish the print media.
My Daughter said something a couple of years back that made me immensely proud, she was talking about e-readers vs books... She said something I have long believed.
"There's just something about the feel of the pages, the smell of the pages the feel of the book in your hand."
I also buy CD's of my very favourite artists... This is hilarious to people. I always respond with the answer - If I am going to spend money I want to touch a real product at the end of the transaction, I do not want a virtual product.
I love the smell of home-made pizza, home-made bread, curry too... Oh sure I use takeaways and delivery services but I like it to be a special event, a reason to not wash up. That makes sense to me, it also explains the huge premium you pay for food that isn't any better ((and many times inferior)) to what you could cook yourself.
I do not understand why people tell me I need to upgrade my phone, my car and my mind when they still work perfectly well. I will not create more waste for waste's sake!
Connection... Genuine connection... Yup! That one gives a little pang somewhere in the heart region when I see where we are heading. Then I raise a smile and realise I can go out and create, provoke, force connection and drag a world that seems averse to my way of thinking kicking and screaming to my side of the fence...
Do you know something, sometimes people realise they have not had a real conversation in so long that there is a kind of thrill in them to be engaging again... Oh I can only reach a few, but if enough of us tread this course we can hold back the inevitable at-least for a little while...
My friend. Your post has really affected me, given me cause to think, to lament, to create solutions in my mind... Reading your words I want to swing open the windows and scream out that it's not just me!!!
Maybe I am just getting old? Maybe I am becoming obsolete, in need of an upgrade? Perhaps the world is moving so fast that I am becoming less and less relevant, less needed.
Alexa can tell you the weather. Google can tell you who won the 1966 world cup of football. Siri or Cortana or a host of other inanimate 2D imitations of humans can explain love in terms they understand but will never be able to explain the smell of a rose or experience the vista of a sunrise reflected from the dew on the grass...
Skynet can tell you how to conquer and eradicate humanity with a fusion of AI gone rogue and cyborg cops from the future...
Maybe this is grumpy old man syndrome! The closer I edge toward the big 5-0 ((still 2 years to go!!!)) the more I notice these things, the more I see the tangible chasm that is expanding exponentially between the old and the new.
I have an enormous amount of optimism within and try and let it shine daily both here and in the real world, I try and direct this optimism toward connection, engagement and genuine conversation as I feel something within that makes me believe we are at a crossroads for humanity.
@allover I hope you don't mind me turning what would have been a gargantuan comment that may have obliterated your comment section and quite possibly collapsed the blockchain from the inside out.
Your philosophical musings grabbed me and forced to think today 🤔 and for that I thank you my friend! For I believe that is far more valuable than many realise.
So Dear Reader, What do YOU think. Do take a moment to read the post from @allover if you missed the link you can find it HERE! via this magic portally thing
Remember to connect today, engage with passion and really take a moment to apreciate those around you and never, I mean ever forget that...
Hi @stevenwood,
Thank you for participating in the #teamuk curated tag. We have upvoted your quality content.
For more information visit our discord https://discord.gg/8CVx2Am
I love being a victim of your amazing comments Steven, they have lifted me up so many times, and just when I needed them too. I feel the same way as you my friend when it comes to the more natural life, having things we can actually feel and smell ( yes I love the smell of books, I had a favourite bookshop in London, it was a second hand one, full of really old books and I love to sit there and get swept up in the smell and the feel of those books in my hands). To those interactions we have with other folk, face to face and also the time we take to interact on here. Thank you for introducing me to @allover I am about to go check out his blog. Much love to you my friend xxxxxxx
Hello Aish. So sorry for my shocking delay in responding, I have finished my work-cycle now for 3 weeks and it is gonna be blockchain, blockchain, blockchain.
Commenting is exactly how we met.
Commenting is how I discovered your incredibly inspiring, joyful, emotionally enriching poetry.
Commenting is why I bloody love you so much!
I know that sometimes when I talk about blockchain friendships becoming real life friendships some roll their eyes, I have even had downvotes on posts that were deemed happie-clappie but I mean every word. I'm not suggesting that everytime we make a comment we make a friend, that would be crazy but sometimes the back and forth results in very special bonds being formed that lay the strong roots for a solid friendship going forward.
Yes I still love second hand bookshops but sadly they are disappearing at an alarming rate, like many non-homogenous businesses not owned by megacorps.
Much love to you and your girls my friend, stay safe, I will cross paths with you again very, very soon 🙂
Here you go again making awesome posts...Can't hold an almost 50-year old down it seems. I say this because I am indeed 50...OK, I'll be honest, gravity is harder to deal with once 50 comes around; Just gotta work harder at it. :)
A great post based around a good post for sure! It's also nice how you promote the other author so well, that's what this community should be about.
I long for those simple days of yore. Ok, maybe the use of yore takes us back too far, let's just call it yesteryear. A simple lad, raised in a small town 45 kilometres out side of the city, I still wish times were so simple, and less complicated than they are these days. Anyway, it's foolish to wish for it, but wise to chase it, in my opinion, and so we do, my wife and I.
Thanks for an awesome post Steven. Sent to @curangel.
All the best for the rest of the week, and the weekend. I would like to see you comment on my Friday #weekend-engagement topic too. I'll post it Friday afternoon. If not that's ok.
Dude we are both working so damn hard to carry off the humorous, fun, 'still-relevant-honestly' older guy vibe and you go and try and single-handedly collapse the entire house of cards with THAT???
Sorry again for the response-delay, work days ugghhh...
Absolutely, why accept being swept along by so-called progress if that is not the direction you are wanting for your life. We want that mythical balance I guess... Some of the perks of now whilst re-living all the charm of back then.
I am so glad I crossed paths with you in a meaningful way Galen! The engagement, thanks man... Sincerely! The comments have been of the ilk I crave. Humorous, relatable and engaging in a thought provoking way.
((Thankfully with regard to the humour I have always just managed to win each round on points... But I can say one thing, you always showed up!)) 😁
The support has been immense my friend .
I will be there... I heard it was the society event of the weekend. I am on 7-7 nights Friday and Saturday night but I assume it will still be running on Sunday. Then I have 22 days away from work then!!! I want to REALLY kick-start my blockchain journey after completing my apprenticeship and committing to the adventure.
Take good care Brother, you are massively appreciated 😎
Showed up huh? Lol. I'll pay that. I mostly got picked last for teams at school...Seems my mediocrity felt inclined to move in and stay for life. Oh well, I'll keep performing in my average-to-poor way and enjoy myself nonetheless. 😂
Good running into you too mate. ✅
Haha I was quite literally always the last one picked for the football team... I said always already I'm sure!
There's a lot of times I have those back and forth comments and they are great and all, I always appreciate engagement however it shows itself, but often there's just no soul, no humanity. Damn when ya add a sprinkling of humour in I think it ramps things up massively.
Enjoy the weekend G-dog 😎
Hey mate, I hope you have a great weekend too. It's going to be cold, a but windy and wet here so...TV!
Planning some Indian food tonight, some movies and maybe snacks later. Sunday, not sure...Maybe hang around my mother in-laws or build some Lego. Hope you have a good one!
Next time you go Indian, I wholly recommend home-made samosa. Just tried making them... Wow!
Oh yeah, I love me a good samosa. My grandma, who was Indian, used to make them from scratch. Also curry puffs...So bloody good!
We had samosa the other night, but it all came from an Indian restaurant nearby. Cooking good Indian food is an art, one I have not gained.
Hi Steven, I love this post for many reasons, the content of which, the true subject included. I couldn't have said it better myself, or else I wold have I suppose.
You made a comment about my post being simple but profound. I agree with the simple, the profound? Not so sure, but thank you.
I am always seeking to simply my life, to streamline it, and that goes also for my thoughts. It could make me seem quite simplistic to more intellectual-types however I like that fact. I am simple and what a person sees in me is what hey get.
I often read things that I have to think very hard to understand and get value, however I love being able to read something, see a few examples and then understand how it may apply to my own life. I try not to get complicated I guess. So, thank you for seeing this in my writing; It is a compliment to me.
I am really impressed with your posts Steven, and am glad to have come across you. I like how you talk about engagement and actively do it and I believe there is a lot of value in doing what you have done here...Not taking and rehashing someone else's work, but showcasing it through your own eyes, thoughts and opinions.
Thank you for your awesome post, I will ensure that it receives a little more attention; Not because you expect it, but because the post deserves it.
Have a great day.
Simplifying and streamlining sound like values I could definitely aspire to in my life. I don't know if it is an age thing but I cannot understand the constant need for over-complication and the confusion it causes me trying to sty on par with 'the norm.'
I loved the way you didn't wrap everything up in over-convoluted examples and thought ramblings... This is something I am trying to aspire to myself as I constantly get lost in my own thoughts whether speaking or writing. I don't beat myself up about it as I accept that this is my style of communication right now lol.
Oh the use of simple most certainly was a compliment ((I never even considered that it could have sounded condescending, but with hindsight... Damn hindsight, always explaining things to me after the fact!!!))you shared your thoughts in a way that appealed to me and made me think deeply, hence my use of the word profound.
I think that everybody at times desires that thatch roofed cottage surrounded by a beautiful selection of wild-flowers bees and the smell of fresh bread wafting from the kitchen... Many know of course that they would get bored after a time but - oh man! I am sure I would absolutely relish that sort of life.
I am very appreciative of the lucky happenstance that we crossed paths my friend and look forward to this happening many, many times. I think we have many coinciding thoughts which will be nice to explore going forward.
Take fabulous care of you and yours my friend, hope your weekend is amazing! I am always quite delayed with comments on my workdays but I always get there eventually ((think old fashioned cart-horse rather than Ferrari)) 😎
I can be wordy at times however here I try to be economical as people don't read much, and long, wordy, posts are a waste of time. On my main account I have an average of 1000-1200 words which is too many, but I do it for myself, not to build or gain a following because I already have one.
My advice to newer people is to write simply, not in complex sentences, big words and concepts that few here will relate to. It's about appealing at first, the other stuff can follow later. Just my opinion.
I apply the same simple thought to my real world life.
Reply when you can, no stress; the real world has to come first.
Yes! You are absolutely right!
Even my comments are way too long, I literally cannot help it lol although I am going to make an effort in the coming 3 weeks whilst on holiday from work... Whoo-Hoo!
My workmates would tell you I never shutup 😁
We will cross paths soon I am sure. Take good care 🙂
It's just a suggestion is all. I think a balance needs to be found. You're a smart guy so will work it out.
Congratulations @stevenwood! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s) :
You can view your badges on your board And compare to others on the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPNice I will hit the next level in far less tha 30 months lol... My aim is 30 days 🙂
Engagement is key and you know it! Keep up the good work @stevenwood!
If you want to support us back even more vote for our witness.
You will get one more badge and more powerful upvotes from us on your posts with your next notifications.