November 7, 2005
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I have joined another blog ring. The goal of this blogring is to get to know other Xangans and to engage in respectful discussion in order to build a worldwide community. The first assignment is to respond to the following statements in order to begin getting to know each other.
1. I am a TALKER. / I am a LISTENER.
I have always been a talker. I tend to talk more than I should most of the time. It is not one of my more endearing qualities. I can also be a very good listener. Sometimes, I have to remind myself to focus on that. Listening is by far the harder of the two skills. Many people never learn to do it. It is worth trying to master, though, because it is listening, not talking, that makes other people feel good. By the way, although I can be a good listener, I am not a master.
2. I am a READER/ I am a WRITER.
I am a voracious reader. In my job, I read scientific material. For pleasure, I prefer mindless fiction. I think that reading is important because it develops thinking. What a person reads is not as important as the fact that they do read.
I am also a writer. That is why I became a Xangan. I enjoy writing. Someday, I hope to publish some of my writing.
3. I am an ARTIST/ I admire art./ I don’t care about art.
I am an artist to the extent that I enjoy creative activities like writing and sewing. I do not create paintings or sculpture. I used to think that I would like to paint. Perhaps someday. Perhaps not. I would also like to quilt.
4. I believe in a Spiritual essence./ I am skeptical of Spirituality.
I am a practicing Roman Catholic and I believe that there is a God. I am not a traditional Catholic because I entertain some beliefs that are not supported by my religion. I am open to the idea of reincarnation, which is not to say that I believe that it is a fact, I just do not believe that it is not a fact. I feel a strong spiritual connection to some people. Some of those connections do not make much sense in terms of the relationships that I have with those people. The idea that we may be souls who are traveling together seems like something that could explain those connections. On the other hand, I have a very good imagination. That could also account for it. There is no way to know, is there?
At this point in my life, I have come to believe that everybody is a prophet and can come to know the truths of the universe by looking inside themselves. What is taught in religions is a guide, but what each person believes has to come from within. I would like to be profound, but I am not.
5. I care deeply about the state of the world/ I am apathetic about current events/ I am satisfied with life as I know it.
I care about the state of the world. I am not as aware of it as I should be because I often do not do the reading that would keep me aware. I do believe in the connections between people, though, and I think that what affects one person basically affects all of us, so what happens in one part of the world affects everyone. I am constantly surprised at how small the world is becoming. I also believe that we are given way too much information sometimes in today’s world.
This is an entry for the Internet Island Blogring. The leader of the blogring is Baldmike. It looks like some interesting things are going to be happening there.
Comments (20)
It’s a pleasure to meet you! And Thank You!
Very interesting blogring and interesting questions. Some of these questions would be difficult for me to answer because the answer is multi answer. But number 1 is easier… I am definitely a listener and that is because I am often to shy to be a talker and I am pretty good at listening maybe because I’m not at talking… I don’t know… But, when I feel really comfortable I do like to talk too, but sometimes even then it is hard because the listener part of me refused to interrupt even if the talker has just interupted me over and over…
What a great idea
Dear Nancy,
Well, it’s almost 8pm and I do have to get up at 4am, but I haven’t commented on your entry for my blogring. I want to apologize because I have been on your site before. You belong to two of the blogrings that inspired me to create Internet Island (Socrates Cafe) and ( Featured Grownups) and yet it seems as if I have never left a comment on your site. That is so unlike me. Must be a major senior moment.
In any case, I’m glad you joined my blogring because now I am leaving a comment, and I will slap my behind if I ever stop by here again without leaving a hoot and holler.
I have been saying that I created questions for my first topic that would be what I would first want to see when visiting a new blog. I look for the “person” behind the blog. I sometimes have to search back quite a few entries to find the humanity I crave. This evening I feel as if I have been on a long stroll through the land of humanity.
I am most interested in your phrase: ” I feel a strong spiritual connection to some people. Some of those connections do not make much sense in terms of the relationships that I have with those people. The idea that we may be souls who are traveling together seems like something that could explain those connections. On the other hand, I have a very good imagination. ” Very deep, yet with levity attached. My kind of writer.
I actually first noticed your entry on the blogring topic when I was at work today. (Which is my copout why I didn’t comment then.) I felt so special when I saw my questionnaire on somebody else’s blog. It’s like a dream come true.
I have spent so much time visiting great sites, leaving a comment or two, and then the blogwriter never comes back. I have enough subscriptions to keep me busy, believe me, but when someone doesn’t write back it bothers me.
My purpose with this ring, which I will probably let hover at around a manageable 100 or so, is for everyone to “connect” and get to know each other. I always refer to a person as a person when I mention them. You are Nancy (nance1). I can’t memorize the “handle” but I can memorize the names.
Thank you for joining the ring. We’re going to have lots of fun, and learn a lot about ourselves, our friends, and our neighbors on the “island”.
Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool
Nancy,
Glad you joined! You are very honest in answering. I agree with your spiritual view in that, we are all one and connected. Love to you.
Came by the Island! Great list! Enjoyed my visit here!
Nancy, It’s good to “bump” into you again
It seems you have a genuine interest in bettering the world around you, and you’re acting on that interest by promoting thought and peaceful interaction. Sometimes our actions speak more of our integrity than words. Ironically, your statement, “I would like to be profound, but I am not,” is actually very profound (according to my belief that those who realize how little they know actually know a lot). 
A very close girl friend of mine, and her family, are also Catholic, and they, too, express some dissonance with the Church today. We had hoped things would change (the role of women in the church, for example), somewhat, with the new Pope, but that remains to be seen, I suppose. She and I haven’t discussed recently how she feels about the transition, but I’m looking forward to learning. As a Sociology major, I’m very interested about groups of people. Because Catholicism has had such a profound effect on all of humanity, the decisions and stance of the Pope are very important, and consequentially very important to me.
I’m looking forward to getting to know you through both forums, Nancy, and hoping that we will grow to understand each other. I imagine that if people of differing ideologies within their own society cannot understand each other that we, as a Western people, have little hope of transcending cultures. In this light, I extend my hand to you in hopes that we transcend our own ideological boundaries to find understanding and acceptance. Simone
Nancy, welcome to the island. I think I’m getting a sunburn from staying on here too long without sunscreen…oops
. Great post. I am also an “artist” when it comes to doing crafts. I’m only 20, but I love to crochet, cross stitch, quilt, well sewing period. I’m looking to teach myself how to knit, but I have to find the time first. I still have 4 cross stitch patterns to finish before x-mas…and I’m just starting on the first one..lol. Looking forward to getting to know you. peace out and take care. autumn
Hi Nancy,
I have enjoyed your comments on my site and was happy to get to know you better by this post. I am sure we will enjoy our time on the “island”.
I love reading and writing too. Sometimes I think “Hey! I could totally paint that” but then when I try it comes out looking not so good.
Hi Nancy, it will be good to get to know each other on the island a bit more! Thanks for sharing and I look forward to ‘talking’ with you more.
~Namaste, Barbi
It seems like this island is becoming quite the place to be. I found it difficult to answer some of those questions because I feel like I can’t box myself into one category. And, being raised Catholic I feel like you do … that there are some ideas worthy of thought that the church doesn’t like to acknowledge.
I grew up in a Christian household though we were never really traditional or dogmatic about it. It wasn’t the main thing in our lives. We focused more on each other than the Church and the religion and I think that is a good thing because you wouldn’t believe the hypocrisy that surrounds the churches back home when I was growing up.
I also grew up in a very very multicultural society – for instance we’d get every full moon day as a holiday because it was a Buddhist tradition regardless of what religion we were. We have more holidays than working days I believe. So you alwas got to learn about different perspectives and different religions and if you were someone like me, you started wanting to get to know the history of the religion. Once I learnt more about the history of the church for example – I was so angry. Positively livid. It didnt’ change my relationship with God – because I always knew that would be something only between me and him – that is my personal spirituality and has more to do with my growth as a person than any tradition of religion I grew up experiencing in any way. It did however make me very angry at the current institutions of most religions I knew the history of – I don’t think acknowledgement has occurred of all the sins committed by these institutions in the past and I don’t think they are trying to do much with the present day either. I was sad when Pope John Paul died – regardless of religious differences, I cannot help but feel affinity and affection for a man who tried so hard to get everyone to tolerate each other and unite regardless of religious faith. I am vary of the current pope because I know he is trying to go on a conversion mission – conversion I believe should be a personal decision not something one is persuaded to do by someone else by telling them they will be saved etc.
Anyways I just had to say all that because you mentioned a sense of disconnection with the Church. I understand that – I cannot completely disregard the barely basic christian upbringing I had. I live my life by my spirituality and by basic tenets instilled in me by my parents not by my religion. In the end I find that love and respect have been preached by all religions. I follow them because of my family not because of my church. My church let me down. My God/dess and spirituality never has.
For Nance 1:
“She loves to work with her hands,
For it’s practicality she understands.
But whatever she creates, she does with love,
And so gives them beauty one can’t speak of.”
Hello Nancy. Enjoyed the post, I think that this Island experience will be fun and interesting. You read science too?
I relate very much to what you say about religion. (I’m a practicing Episcopalian myself…) I also appreciate what you’re saying about reading and how it’s important to just read. I need to read more myself. RYC: I feel the same about the grownups w/ content blogring…never sure I fit in.
hey, how are you? thanks for the comment. i don’t think my writing is very mature but it’s helping me cope and i feel “lighter” inside when i write. i like your answers and i agree, reading makes people think about stuff and ask questions. it helps us understand things and learn about others. i don’t think it’s important what people read ’cause you have to start somewhere. when i’m having a bad day and i can’t concentrate i read short easy books. i was born catholic too but now i’m not so sure what i believe. i think it’s cool you’re open to ideas and believe in things even though our religion tells us something different. take care, charlie
Nancy-
Great answers! I hope to get to know you better as time goes on.
-Colin
Hello Nancy! My name’s Keeta and I’m a fellowed Islander. Just stopping by… I really liked reading your entry.
Hope you have a great weekend!
Hello Nancy…thanks for stopping by my site and commenting. I love your answers and especially connected to the one on spirituality. “At this point in my life, I have come to believe that everybody is a prophet and can come to know the truths of the universe by looking inside themselves. What is taught in religions is a guide, but what each person believes has to come from within. I would like to be profound, but I am not.” Such an accurate statement and said with much clarity.
and yes…you are very profound.