A few lines about BUF before I get on with my choice of topic!
Once upon a time there was a blog with a whole lot of faces – familiar and new. With bloggers who wanted to share and be part of a group with a common love for writing and expressing their views. Some were old friends, some didn’t really see eye to eye. What seemed like a successful idea then turned ugly when opinions clashed and personalities overshadowed the basic premise of friendship. Bruised egos walked away and some who simply didn’t get involved but despised the constant bickering, preferred to stay away. What remains now are a handful (?) of people genuinely interested in the idea of keeping a space called “Between Friends” and some who silently stay on for they feel walking away would seem so frivolous and probably they feel their non involvement is a way to keep out of unnecessary conflict.
Anyway… every time I get back to do a post here on BUF, I can’t help but make an observation on the rather dismal state of the blog and us who seem to be waging a losing battle to keep it going….as they say *sigh*…
So if you’ve managed to read through the last two paragraphs without rolling your eyes and going “not againnnn ishiii!!”, here’s my take on one of the several interesting topics put up by Amit :)
I’ll write about the first one “Compliments and Brickbats” but in a different context. I’m simply going to narrate two instances here in blogsville where I felt really good and one which made me think about what could be termed as an observation that made me look within and change myself.
The first one is rather easy and has to do with a random comment I received for one of my blog posts where a guy had put up one of my posts (in fact my only attempt at writing a story) in his blog and spoke of how reading it had inspired him to take up blogging too. Coming from a complete stranger, this one instance gave me a whole new high :) and of course a lot more confidence in my ability to express myself in words! It made me believe that through my words I can make a difference…The second instance of a negative situation
has a lot to do with the way I handled BUF and still do. And here is where I have learnt a lot about myself and my sensitivity to issues which at times I should have simply let be. To get so passionately involved in a diverse group is bound to give rise to some unpleasant situations and put us in situations where we find ourselves making difficult choices or forcing others to do the same. It took me time to learn to think and not to simply feel… or should I say use my head and not my heart to define my equations with people. That I guess saves us from a lot of emotional upheavals and constant hurt.Either instance – positive and negative – worked towards making me a better individual. I may never be satisfied enough to say I am happy with the kind of person I am but I know that IF I am constantly learning and getting better, I think that’s more than enough to keep me feeling positive and hopeful about each new day!!
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”- Maya Angelou quotes
