Guest Writer...........
Hello Village,
This time I am turning over the blog to qwertyrobot. She will be adding her knowledge to our wonderful blog. Also we welcome Pwnzor1 to MeMe's Mod Squad. Congrats Pwn.
We also welcome Akasharoo who splits her time with us and Cafe kong, congrats Akasha. The Mod Squad is getting to be the finest on this site.
I appreciate all the hard work the Mod Squad does to keep the Village the
fine room it is.
OK, here is qwerty's post.......
One wonderful day, I somehow travelled to a site called Kongregate. Another wonderful day several months later, I found a home in the Village where I could learn and grow. I have done both. It is amazing that there exists a place where I can do that; Where I can make the most hilarious mistakes and be taught; Where I can make friends no matter who I am or what I do or what I think; Where people are included with open arms (often times literally!), not excluded; Where I can participate in a community that daily astonishes me with its fun, vigor, friendliness, openness, and large amounts of funny!
Selfishness is not what characterizes this Village. People can get far more concerned with their own narrow achievement than with the wellbeing of others. And when that spirit infects a community, the community becomes the weaker for it. So we have to ensure that spirit doesn't infect our community. All of the jealousies, recriminations, cutthroat competitiveness, and possessiveness are far too ugly for chat. Points or people, the Village is a place to greet people enthusiastically and to cheer then on, not to tear them apart. Splitting people apart, putting them in boxes, excluding them, that is not the Village.
A wise person once told me that on the internet everyone is purple. In the Village, we all deserve the same amount of respect, the same amount of inclusion, the same amount of politeness. Just because some individual, group of people, or the world in general doesn’t behave well is not an excuse to abuse chat or the people within it in any way. The Village is a wonderful place to be, where everyone, no matter their limitations or how much they are excluded in the real world, can be included. Time in the Village should be about this, not petty differences that break us apart. For inside, we are all the same. We are all human. And when we realize this, and choose to be positive, we can be great.
I have been thinking of a community like a piece of music – made up of individual parts, but it is the whole that absolutely transcends reality. There are solos that are shine and special people in chat, but the interplay between all the voices and personalities is what makes chat. All the same, if several parts suddenly go a half step out of tune, a joyous major chord can be turned into something very melancholy. But Villagers are better than that. Humanity is better than that.
So I am thankful that I can be a part of this wonderful community, thankful for the friendships I have made, for all the amazing people I have talked to, for the camaraderie, the spirit, the jokes. I am learning so much, and I hope that I will continue to do that in an environment where competitiveness, possessiveness and putting people in boxes is muffled by encouragement, generosity, tolerance and most of all fun!
~ qwertyrobot