Steemit #MSP2P: Build Your Bridges

tayken(50)

Published in

#steemit

Words

644

Reading

3 min

Listen to this post

~4 min

Humans Are Not Binary

How often do you intentionally create opportunities for real human connections? We often assume that relationships will find us, instead of taking an active role in discovering and cultivating them for ourselves. Historically, when a new online social platform strolled into my life (AOL chatrooms, Twitter, Tumblr, and now Snapchat, Ello, Anchor, Discord, and Steemit) I honestly assumed that I was creating deep and meaningful relationships with those I met online (disregarding the underlying fear and social anxiety that comes with looking into meaty eyes). And while I think these new platforms do offer new opportunities to create more authentic relationships in ways discussion boards of the past never could, I think we're still tragically naive about what these relationship really mean to us. Humans have so much more to offer than what's available to us between light-filled glass tubes.

Don't get me wrong, I've had amazing conversations with some incredible individuals (especially here on Steemit). @SirCork @soundwavesphoton @netuoso @trogdor @Sammo @GMuxx @nlizotte @Discordiant @deadsun @drakos @rhondak @doggedfi @mk40 @r0nd0n @TremendousPercy @crimsonclad @necrophagist @fun-along-theway @professorbromide @lukinsawyer @dwinblood @matthewtiii @cupidzero @annie.oakley @arbitrarykitten @drakos @kozak @oleg326756 @protegeaa just to name a few :) But not a single online conversation compares to what I experienced yesterday by meeting @venuspcs (Richard) IN THE FLESH.

File_000 (2).jpeg

With a 40-minute conversation, we established a completely authentic (or at least different) understanding of each other that could have never been established online (and let me assure you..fucker has some stories to tell). As humans, we link stories with our senses. We absorb subtleties and nuance that create character. We desperately seek the reassuring contact of others that let us know we're all fighting through some shared form of existential angst. Avoiding these deep evolutionary desires places you firmly on a one-way road towards isolation at best and a deep sense of loneliness at worst.

Bridges Not Barriers

Just to be clear, this is not a denouncement of Steemit or any other online social space; it's an endorsement of the potential energy natively included, but so often neglected in these tools. These platforms offer us opportunities to connect with others in a way that has never existed historically, but we must take the initiative to create the necessary leverage. And I'm far from some social butterfly, so if I can do it, you surely can too.

Here's another example: After spending a fair amount of time on a new conferencing platform called Shindig, I came across an interesting community using the platform to explore future trends in higher education ( @cupidzero and @dwinblood might be interested given this recent post exploring education). I started to dig deeper into the mastermind behind the group and came across what is now a highly respected mentor of mine. And guess what? It all started with a few chats online asking if he would be interested in coming out to give a talk at the university I work at. Sure enough, after some persistence, he agreed, and now we have a connection that would have never been established had I not decided to push beyond the binary confines of digital spaces.

File_000 (3).jpeg

Just For Fun

This is a picture of me and some friends with another idol of mine (apparently I have a height complex and need to surround myself with the vertically challenged). If anyone knows who it is of note in this picture, I'll send along 1SBD. He more than made up for his height in his other capacities, and this meetup was all driven (thousands of miles from home) via a little social platform you might know called Twitter.