Uncategorized 24 Jul 2007 09:43 am
A lost opportunity.
It’s too bad, really. There was a moment, a while ago, when I thought this site would be a great place to capture my thoughts about this year’s event, and the lessons learned from it.
But then I realized the degree to which some people have nothing better to do than constantly look for something to fear, something to criticize. I started fearing that my words would be thrown back at me, months later, and that people wouldn’t take the time, or the care, to differentiate between my personal, evolving opinions, and my public facing job.
Which is exactly what has happened. There’s probably not a single person working for burning man who has been more open, more accessible, more willing to discuss this year’s event on the record than me, except perhaps Andie Grace. And in return, I’ve become a lightning rod for every complaint imaginable. Every slight. You name it, I’ve heard it.
Suspecting that would become the case caused me to stop reflecting in this space, a decision I now see was warranted. It’s too bad, really. It could have been a good place to see the evolution of an idea unfold. Instead, it’s become a monument to the banality of reflexive fear of change.
Entry Keywords:
on 24 Jul 2007 at 3:05 pm 1.Ted Rheingold said …
Stick to your guns.
There’s nothing worse then a prolonged online bicker to sap the life out of any project. The internet is great for airing concerns and awful at developing consensus. In fact if the internet was our only means to communicate no one would ever feel a conversation was ended or a topic closed.
And putting your emotional energy into trying to make every last person on the internet happy is as useful as trying to get evangelicals to think that their daughters should get a complete education. It’s just not going to happen.
So then the only option is to put your energy into what you think is the right and best use. Take time to consider other view points, but not expect to be able to change them.