tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post4933508072120657705..comments2023-06-07T09:12:00.141-06:00Comments on Mountains and Water: To Blog or Not to Blog: Is that the question?Peter Bealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15576690594320743452noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-40760350040403102472016-02-16T14:20:13.530-07:002016-02-16T14:20:13.530-07:00As someone who maintains (or used to?) a largely p...As someone who maintains (or used to?) a largely polemical and admittedly at times rant-filled blog, I could not possibly agree more with what you've said here. My blog also currently suffers from a similar malaise, but given the fact that my readership likely numbers under two dozen on a good day it's often hard for me to justify crafting posts that may or may not even be read. Promoting my long, often critical posts on social media just doesn't seem to affect the quality or quantity of discussion either.<br /><br />I believe it's largely because of the situation you've described here, wherein critical writing and, more ominously still, critical thinking, are becoming more and more heretical to this notion of "positivity at all costs". I think you've hit it squarely that saving face now often trumps having discussions that, while difficult, would ultimately yield better understanding of issues. Further, it even seems that the more well-reasoned something is and especially if it takes longer than two sentences to effect said reasoning, the worse it seems to fare, especially in the online world. A you've said, the power of capitalism plays a strong role as do ever-shrinking attention spans, the latter probably being largely the result of the former's inexorable influence.<br /><br />If it makes any difference, I'm one person who wants to both read and write more contentious prose about climbing. I'm sure there are more of us out there, people for whom the discussion still matters and perhaps more importantly who still believe there are things that warrant discussion. There are still a few of us out here who haven't yet succumbed to the "just go climbing" platitude, which I liken to saying "simply enjoy the ride but don't ask where it goes".<br /><br />In any case, you may have inspired me to write in my blog for the first time in 6 months. It's hard to say what determines whether it's worthwhile, but generally simply hearing that one or two people enjoy my writing helps steel my resolve; hopefully it's the same for you, because I've always enjoyed your blog.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11871397175655315454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-78620582264430096032016-02-12T13:06:55.488-07:002016-02-12T13:06:55.488-07:00With all of that being said, what's the goal h...With all of that being said, what's the goal here? I've noticed that the trend in blogging lately is to, well, not blog :) Which I personally find sad, but maybe I'm part of an ever-shrinking community. I depend on online blogs or journals for my information or opinions but maybe I need to 'evolve' like the rest of the technocrats in my generation. I just don't know what the next step is (or am too lazy to try and find out). Tweeting? Reddit? Tumblr? FB? Instagram? None of these forums seem to capture the depth and personal attention required to address topics that you are fond of bringing up. Yet, if the audience is waning, who are we, in the end, blogging for? If our questions go unanswered, or our message does not inspire new readers to engage, then it does become a lesson in futility, right? But maybe not. Micah Bryan Humphreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09051649321466387431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-51911165064543582792016-02-12T12:55:36.642-07:002016-02-12T12:55:36.642-07:00I definitely think it's worth it. Whether it&...I definitely think it's worth it. Whether it's worth it to you or not is certainly a different question. I look forward to your posts when they do come out and derive a lot of 'things' from them (introspection, motivation, individuality to be just a few). My vote would be to keep going but I also don't have a family, a demanding career, and a training/climbing schedule on top of it all. Your perspective is one I value Peter. Hope to keep reading and learning.Micah Bryan Humphreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09051649321466387431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-4279904041975749412016-02-08T06:06:59.155-07:002016-02-08T06:06:59.155-07:00nice write, peter.
as one that also enjoyed heari...nice write, peter. <br />as one that also enjoyed hearing the the questions and controversies that ultimately arise from climbing's growth, i completely agree with you. <br />but i do think that if you raise these questions, the debates will happen. don't give up, but instead plant the seeds of discussion. be a voice that opens the questions we all care about, even if we don't know it yet. the climbing community will thank you for it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02344020583263113173noreply@blogger.com