What is your internet footprint?

[panoikei]

I had a conversation with my wife tonight dealing with another board we’ve been slowing migrating from. The board is for converts to Catholicism yet the folks that hang out there seem to hang on to their proselytizing ways… They’re really good at apologetics, but they method of delivery to us is not Catholic at all. But that’s another thread. I want to talk about something that concerns me. Ever since I first came on this board I really wanted to learn apologetics since I was proselytized many years ago into a fundamentalist group. Thankfully, I kept my eye on always trying to learn the truth and ultimately my fundamentalist wife converted to the Church with me. It was God sent. But I feared posting because of the way I had learned to communicate with others from a fundamentalist perspective. Although I had converted back to Catholicism, much of what I said sounded seriously Protestant like…for a good reason…I was Protestant for so many years. At least in my head. CAF is very unforgiving towards people that might say things in a fit or rage of confusion. It seems quite uncharitable to not allow people to change things they say after they’ve thought through it later realizing that the tone or words used were not good choices. In fact, 20 minutes is just not enough time to me… If I were a writer or an attorney I guess I could mange that better. However, I’m sort of blogging on here, searching for answers to questions I either don’t know or thought I knew and want reassurance I have it right. Why, because had I learned the real teachings of the Church growing up I most likely would never have left. I’m learning for myself, but also for my children. I also would like to get informed enough to inter ministry one day…as a deacon serving God.

So I heard that employers are now searching applicant names to see what the blog and where they hand out at online. I’m glad I don’t use my real name. So how do you feel about that? It makes me second guess everything I write now. I even hesitate to admit that this is not my first username on here because when I first came back to Catholicism I really sounded like a real knucklehead and frankly really embarrassed myself. I couldn’t post anyting without offending the moderator or others. That was part of our specific Protestant training…methods. It makes you realize that I may have waisted many good opportunities in the past just by the way I appraoched problems. We weren’t that crazy, just opinionated…strongly. I still have to work through it and it’s working. I don’t even like to go to sites that arent’ Catholic anymore. And I’m not as motivated to spend much time here anymore, since it interferes with real life and real people. It cuts into my prayer life. But its a way to put my thoughts down. Like a journal to look back on… but that’s the problem…it leaves my footprint and I pray that it never interferes with me being accepted to the diaconate one day. So I will remain anonymous as long as I am allowed.

Thoughts?

 

[strngrnrth]

Hard as it can be to remember, this isn’t a chat on the corner. Blog, forum, site… posting is publishing.

 

[Trishie]

Good for you for persisting in your journey, challenging as it has been! We’re all searching, finding our way, whether longterm Catholics, returning Catholics, Protestants, or non-believers.

As for our pseudonyms…they do enable us to feel less restrained in our groping and in our sharing. The written word can sound harsher than we mean, or it can reveal our hurt or angry feelings, more easily than our love and tenderness which can sound cloying. When we are defensive we don’t always sound our best…but we try hard. I know I do. I don’t always get it right and am sometimes amazed at how tolerant people usually are…sometimes they simply ignore one’s post and leave oneself to give the rap on the knuckle.

I’m sometimes awed at the kindness and insights, and revealed goodness of others, or struck dumb by the enormity of their problems…but not for long though because the urge to give expression is too strong in me. I want to fix, to help, to embrace, to find the right texts…but only God’s Spirit can address the other person, even if once in a while with the fabric of one’s post. I admire that you have persisted in the face of the difficulties you encountered…Trishie

 

[panoikei]

Good for you for persisting in your journey, challenging as it has been! We’re all searching, finding our way, whether longterm Catholics, returning Catholics, Protestants, or non-believers.

As for our pseudonyms…they do enable us to feel less restrained in our groping and in our sharing. The written word can sound harsher than we mean, or it can reveal our hurt or angry feelings, more easily than our love and tenderness which can sound cloying. When we are defensive we don’t always sound our best…but we try hard. I know I do. I don’t always get it right and am sometimes amazed at how tolerant people usually are…sometimes they simply ignore one’s post and leave oneself to give the rap on the knuckle.

I’m sometimes awed at the kindness and insights, and revealed goodness of others, or struck dumb by the enormity of their problems…but not for long though because the urge to give expression is too strong in me. I want to fix, to help, to embrace, to find the right texts…but only God’s Spirit can address the other person, even if once in a while with the fabric of one’s post. I admire that you have persisted in the face of the difficulties you encountered…Trishie

Thanks for recognizing my struggles. You’re very kind for choosing your words so carefully. Yes. It is easy to go off easier on someone else. It’s easy to over-react.

I never thought of this a “Publishing” though. That’s rather sick to take that stance though. Even if it is. We’re not the Daily News you know. This is a forum where people form and reform their ideas around others. We’re not trying, hopefull, to lure folks down the wrong path or say something that comes out wrong. My other forum allows us to make corrections. It’s our free will.

 

[strngrnrth]

Thanks for recognizing my struggles. You’re very kind for choosing your words so carefully. Yes. It is easy to go off easier on someone else. It’s easy to over-react.

I never thought of this a “Publishing” though. That’s rather sick to take that stance though. Even if it is. We’re not the Daily News you know. This is a forum where people form and reform their ideas around others. We’re not trying, hopefull, to lure folks down the wrong path or say something that comes out wrong. My other forum allows us to make corrections. It’s our free will.

When the internet was a military secret, I was making and copying art and essays to hand out around my city. I knew the problem inherent in that hobby: If you correct something, people have already sent and may have kept or recopied and distributed the original version. It was just a form of self-expression, but it was still publishing, and to run a corrction and corrected edition didn’t erase a line that came out wrong. It was only partly corrected. The old one was still out there. That’s how it is online. People see and quote the old one, copies of it are in drives and other posts respond to it.

 

[Cuddy_Duck]

Does anyone think that your freedom of speech is worth more than a job offer? That if an employer did’nt hire you because of your religion, politics or any other POV you may have, then that employer wouldn’t be worth working for anyway? That an employer that doesn’t respect your privacy or private life, obviuosly doesn’t repect human dignity and won’t respect you?

We may all have to do jobs we don’t like or work for people that we don’t get along with, but feeling intimidated into silence by the “threat” of some hypothetical employer or internet dossier all about you is tragic.

Just how oppressive is the atmosphere of your labour market these days?

Cos somebody has got you jumping at shadows.:bigyikes: