05 July, 2009

there is a crack, a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in

Ooh, someone did a post on less-than-well-known typographical symbols. (Yes, this is the kind of thing I find amaaaazing. I read dictionaries too. Shush.)

Steampunk synthesizer? Ooh, yes.

I wandered around somewhat today, and while I did, I looked up things, here and there, that I remembered. There's a place called Elv'an Majika (I think it's here) that sells the 'casual fantasy' crop top/skirt thing for around five Lindens a piece. She's got several free things, as well--I'd originally heard this through the Kitties--but forget that; when you can get free boots and then a jacket, top, and skirt for L$15 above and beyond that--I mean, that's a whole outfit.

Only one problem--the short skirts with the trailing sheer silk panels? Clock in at 105 prims each. Yipe!

Miss Putrid Gloom has her new store of the macabre and odd up at Gloomyville. She has cute little things on the walls, odd little things scattered about the place.

Photobucket

(Warning to the arachnophobic: it's not quite a spider, but it is spider-like--the second pic attached to this one is a closer look.)

Speaking of Miss Gloom, she tipped me to this short film--about the hazards of temper, especially temper directed at oneself. It's a lovely, discordant piece, and I do believe both words apply equally.

I got this in the mail when I logged in world:

Dear Friends,
This morning, in Kinvara, a small group started talking about how the world has lost its gentleness.
We talked that it takes strength to be gentle.
Then we talked about spreading the word that being gentle is okay. That gentle people are really the STRONGEST people.
A small seed of a huge idea emerged, and we want to talk about it with everyone tonight at 7 p.m.
We need artists and dreamers and builders and everyone with a gentle heart.
Please come hear and share your ideas ... 7 p.m. SLT Sunday Kinvara Village lawn.
A second meeting will be held at 9 a.m. SLT Monday.

Madeline Munro


So I went. I am far from a gentle soul; I have long said I would make a terrible Buddhist because I kill bugs, I occasionally cuff cats that claw me, I have been known to strike out violently when provoked: these are not traits of an evolved being.

But such ruminations were not the main goal of the group, it seems. While it's all generally agreed, we need to master our own passions, and seek habits of non-violence, what the group at large seems to want is...acceptance.

That the world does not have to be sharp of fang and red of claw.

That the natural state of humanity is not competition and backstabbing.

That with understanding and tolerance, we can realize there's enough room for all views without us crowded out as individuals.

That peace does not mean apathy, that gentle does not mean weak, that understanding does not mean pushover.

These aren't bad views. The Quakers have been working in these ways for centuries. The Buddhists have counseled this. Other religions, other groups, have had the same thoughts.

A gentle world. It's not a bad idea, all in all.

In any of this, in all of this, I am not the speaker on the mount. I am not gentility, I am turbulence, in most of my behaviors. But I admire the thinking, I admire the wish for a better, for a gentler world.

Where children do not need to know how to fire guns before their first kiss.

Where boys are not taught tears are bad; where girls are not taught to despise themselves.

Where adults do not grow to adulthood knotted around insecurity and fear--of themselves, of others.

Where hate is something in textbooks, not vibrating in hearts.

Is this impossible? I'm not saying so. For some of us, maybe we are too set in our ways to change. But as I said, where I may not live, I can admire; where I may not fully believe, I can embrace.

Contact Miss Elspeth Woolley or Miss Madeline Munro in world for more information; there will be pages coming on the Caledon Wiki, and there will be some form of in-world group.

7 comments:

Edward Pearse said...

I am intrigued by the irony of Miss Woolley being one to promote a group about understanding and gentleness after abusing people in ISC last night who did not respond to her question immediately.

Emilly Orr said...

Really? This, you see, I had not heard, being

a) out of world last night, and

b) usually operational without ISC, since, for one reason or other, I'm seeing it's better to close the window than rave like a madwoman at whatever has managed to irk me in there now.

Do tell.

Anonymous said...

What a shame that my drawing attention to my ignored question with regard to the ongoing chat would be seen as "abuse". It is never my intention or desire to "abuse" anyone. That anyone saw it that way does explain the unfortunately ill-mannered responses from a gentleman or two. As Miss Orr recounts in her description of the conversation at our meeting, gentle does not mean weak, it does not mean pushover. It does mean attempting to understand the actions of others in a compassionate way and not provoke ill feelings unneccessarily.
I believe we should also attempt to handle conflict with courtesy and with an eye toward peaceful resolution. Sometimes the best way to do that is to close ISC chat, which is how I chose to handle the incident referred to, rather than perpetuate it and have the situation deteriorate further.
I believe we all do our best to maintain courteous relations at all times, which is to Caledon's great credit, and it seems natural that a group like Miss Munro's Gentle World would be spawned there.

Elspeth Woolley

Edward Pearse said...

Miss Woolley, telling other people that their inactions within your 2 minute window constitutes some sort of campaign to ignore you did indeed come across as abuse which is why you received some rather curt replies from several people. To then maintain that you did so in order to keep people being polite shows either double standards or hypocrisy.

If you are indeed to embark on a programme of understanding then I suggest patience make up a large component.

Rhianon Jameson said...

The steampunk synth is heart-stoppingly awesome. I'm afraid I committed one of the Deadly Sins upon gazing at it.

Emilly Orr said...

Miss Woolley: You see, there was the confusion. I've never known you to be rude.

Edward: Though, I grant you, not often in ISC, I have known people to need an answer in a set time, not get it, and begin to snark. Is the increase in snappishness and sarcasm a good thing? Of course not. Is it understandable, if you knew the circumstances? Sure, even though you may not agree.

Miss Jameson: I adore it, I wholly understand the Deadly Sin level of engagement. I don't even use synthesizers and I deeply, deeply want one.

Anonymous said...

I was Rather Horrified by what the topic seemed to imply when I logged in (war in Caledon), and asked a question in the midst of a fast rush of posts. Given the foibles of the venue and rapid flow of chat, my statements following my question were made in a vein of wry humour and accompanied by a rueful chuckle from my typist. This was evidently not obvious from a few words of type, coupled with the fact that other than my greeting you at events where we have both been coincidentally in attendance, we have never spoken and do not know each other.
When reaching the point at which perspectives are widely divergent and the divergence appears to be widening, I find the best course of action – the gentlest, even – is to respectfully agree to disagree, which position I adopt at this juncture. All the best to you.

Elspeth Woolley

hide away, they say, 'cos we don't want your broken parts

Yeah, so...remember that thing I was recovering from? You know, last year ? Yeah. I did it again. So this is Em Faw Down Go Boom part ...