So, what was I thinking?

Every once in awhile I awake to a need to open a door into why and what’s going on with me. The other day on EONS I was asked about a couple of quotes I use for signatures. This is what followed:

1. The lyricism of “addiction” may find inspiration in the image of the “outlaw, ” the great social nomad, who prowls on the confines of a docile, frightened order”,
2. “Remind in the state of constant departure while always arriving – this saves on introductions and good byes.”

Hi,

The first quote – Michel Foucault, well kind of – I took a part of a quote of his relating to the “Mad” and inserted what I did; the second comes from the movie “Waking Life” – directly. The next paragraph are my views of the process relating to the in-person social networking to the online. In fact I might say it a little differently now – in the sense that social networking of all types are at the same time competing for superiority – they are also in a state of paradox while they are bucking the head winds of fragmentation – a lost of cohesion (trust) within the social body, as exampled this week in the United States Congress over the Bailout Bill and the credit freeze.

I read your profile – I liked the tracing of your journey – thus far. I’m at a similar point inasmuch as I am being pulled out and deeper into the social networking space. I resist. I resist a path while I continue to search. I would have my search play out differently except it stays open to we while others close.

An, example – as you may notice I joined EONS some time ago (2007) – pretty much as I have done with so many others – if you travel around social networking sites I am engage lots of places. I did not put any effort into EONS as it was awkward to use (so I thought) it was for an older demographic – I still like to think of myself as someone “hot enough” for all ages. I did not get involved with any of the group conversations or inviting people to become friends or any such tactics until recently.

This space was just to slow – too old – too too, I think this demonstrates that one of the reasons I come to social networking – to attract the females like yourself – maybe younger – but good looking ladies, nonetheless. But as my past female attraction tactics where based on “being chosen” all I thought I needed to do was to show my face – you remember “if it is built – they will come” well for me it was “IF I show my face, they will chose me”.

Now that was not the only reason I engaged in social networking – it was also to make a living and by building a consulting practice, but the tactics all follow the same line of reasoning. “If I show up, tell my story, share my thoughts, they will chose me”.

My ongoing experience has had less success than I desire and I have to believe that inside this fact is the lesson that draws me deeper along a path I am yet to take. Part of me thinks that to make and enhance relationships is happenstance – stuff happens without reason or cause; part of me thinks that deep social movements can be influenced directly through an understanding of the conspiratorial nature of social existence – a spin off from Michel Foucault’s notion of “Power”.

In it he sees that “Power” is characterized by tactics of people like myself – you – everyone/anyone often quite explicit at the restricted level where they are inscribed (the local cynicism of power), tactics which, becoming connected to one another, attracting and propagating one another, but finding their base of support and their condition elsewhere, end by forming comprehensive systems (folk you hang with – social networks – groups within groups – outlaws); the logic is perfectly clear, the aims decipherable, and yet it is often the case that on one is there to have invented them, and few (my ego laments its own arrogance into taking my own interest seriously) who can be said to have formulated them.

All of this while I still hold on to a notion of God’s mighty deeps still and always working in the NOW. I tell you all this – I’m not sure why. It’s 5:44am – I’ve never seen nor read not know anymore about you – yet here I am. It’s a hoot!

Levy

Tags: power, resilience, confession