The Idea of the TGR Board
What is it? Who are those that populate it? Why do I choose to patronize it?
In idea, the very semblence of an Utopian society be it electronic or not turns my stomach. Within the length and bredth of a perfect society the inequalities are pushed far behind in order to further the effort/mental picture that everything is okay.
However in this case the opposite is almost guaranteed to be true. Within this ragtag group of members the shortcoming is almost guaranteed to be the common uniting factor. You might say that the board is a few thousand strong reveling in the addiction factors of skiing, typing, routine, drugs/alcohol and boredom.
Now really some of the strongest members are rather not those that choose to spend all their time on the board but those that actually choose to partake in the activities that surround the general membership. It is within this model that some see (what they consider) the best TR's, the best cogniscent feelings........ right? Well, this is not always the case as you can tell. We have writers and skiers and filmers; really everything under the sun. Just because they can contribute and formulate a phrase doesn't mean that it has any emotional impact. For example the numerous: "I saw the sun glinting off the crystals on the summit, expanding the consciousness of my mind reminding me why I am better than a cube drone. "
As with all human beings we have the inevitablity to be sucked into the varying ended spectrum of boredom and pain (allusions to schopenhauer)
So within this area of the society we have the addiction that forms. We all think that by surfing these pages more and more that answers or camaraderie will form. Unfortunately though there are no more answers within the pages of TGR than there are in the pages of the National Enquirer. Friends can and will form, but your basis is upon a purely speculative shell. Much like a new date things can be great at first and later you will realize that although this is a good fellow, he isn't your type of person.
I do not question the loyalties or the bonds that have formed from this group. Nor do I question the idea of the board itself. It is only a thing that is created by the people that populate it. However as with most systems, once people populate and force their own opinions upon it they look to fill their "predefined" rolls on the board: The joker, the bastard, the black sheep, the druggy, the asshole, the kind one. All these do is reinforce the fact that we try to play out the reality that we wish to present to others.
If any of us were to actually be in this not for acclaim or acceptance then we would actually never tell of the exploits.
While typing this, the one thing that comes to my mind is that I spend far too much time trying to reach out to an indifferent group. There are cliques and groups, both geographical and fraternal, that support and proclaim their own. For a few there are none, and those few tend to feel that there is an oversight of what happens to them. This idea is a false thought. Within the rancour of acclaim is everpresent the notion that someone must care what ideas someone else thinks of him. What does it matter if someone from Utah or CO has an opinion about your line or your skiing technique. What matters is that your actions have an affect upon your life.
I believe the reason that I actually patronize the board is that I want acceptance for something that I do. I liked the recognition of having a response to something that I have done, even though by my own contradictory nature it is never enough. That is because within my own capacity I am never happy with myself.
You cannot actually solve your problems though by externally turning towards the void of flattery and fawning. These things do not help fill what needs to be done.
Therefore, what will keep me posting in the future? The connections that I have made will keep me here even if I am not around. However I think the scale of contributing will be cut back, especially on the areas of gloating and claiming and reporting. They do not serve a purpose for anyone.
