For those of you with your mind quickly going towards the gutter I am not talking about that TYPE of circle jerk. I am talking about the conceptual type that is the more common usage for the phrase these days I believe.
The circle jerk I refer to is the process where people that already all share common beliefs or ideologies talk endlessly about the things they all already know.
I have to wonder why? Is it purely about comfort and not wanting to deal with conflict?
It has to be one of the slowest ways to learn anything new if all you do is talk about the things your group already has in common. That doesn't seem particularly productive.
I do think it may be about comfort, and strength in numbers. Yet this seems fear motivated. Be brave. The learning opportunities are much greater when we are not speaking into echo chambers.
Speak with people who have different ideas than you. If you can both remain civil and treat each other with respect I guarantee these will be some of the best opportunities for BOTH of you to learn new things.
Let's talk about respect and civility...
When I am in a discussion with someone I disagree with as soon as they resort to insults, or name calling I kind of feel like I won the argument. Yet really I didn't. That is actually one of the saddest of outcomes. That is when an impasse is encountered and the flow of information between the two people ceases.
I didn't win. In reality, the best possible outcome for such an encounter is if there are no winners and both people learn and benefit from it. That is what I try to strive towards. I am human, I often fail. Sometimes I succeed. Yet I'll try again.
So this thought about Circle Jerks was kind of where my mind sequed too after my one trick pony post.
I realized there are people that make a career about talking about the same thing ALL the time. They are usually important things. There are also some people that are very good at it and were often an early influence on my thinking. However, the more I interacted with them the more I learned what they would say. Eventually I'd see some beautifully written pieces that told me absolutely nothing new. They are still great for people that have never encountered those concepts. Yet for those that have understood them they begin to not have much personal learning value.
That lead me to wondering about these people when they might have a facebook page where they are active on and they are surrounded by "fans". Would this often turn into nothing more than a circle jerk? There of course are likely exceptions, but is that not predominantly what it would likely form into?
It can be very uplifting to have "fans" raving and talking about your brilliance. Yet is it a moment of growth? Can it be a moment of stagnation? Can you be trapped in a cage of your own making where you are the "expert" in a specific field and that is all people want to hear from you?
That is pretty depressing.
These people should come to steemit, or other places where they interact with people on many different ideas, and with people that disagree respectfully. Engage, Empower, and Expand your mind... come to steemit...!!!
