A brief introduction: My understanding of Buddhism is very modest, average man in the street level. I spend a ton of time in nature where I enjoy silence, and a ton of time on the Net where I enjoy noise. Thus my screen name: Nature + Talk.
Here's a place to start, a question that can help me start to understand the culture of this forum. Is this a tribal site, or a philosophy site? What I mean by that is...
TRIBAL SITE: Like minded people gather together to create a tribe. The glue that holds the tribe together is their shared beliefs. Typically the tribe is declared superior to other tribes, and members enjoy mutually reinforcing each other's conclusion that this is so. A certain amount of challenge to the tribe's beliefs may be welcome, particularly if the response to that challenge can be used to further articulate the tribe's belief. If the challenge becomes too challenging, if the glue that holds the tribe together is perceived to be under threat, then trouble often begins.
PHILOSOPHY SITE: On what I'm calling a philosophy site (for lack of a better term) it is widely accepted that any belief which is presented will be subjected to a process of challenge, you know, like kicking the tires on a used car to see if they hold up. Such sites are also somewhat of a tribe in that members share the belief that such tire kicking is a useful necessary process. Trouble is routine on such sites, but is moderated somewhat by the shared belief that being inconvenient is really what the site is all about.
I realize the above is a pretty simplistic and typically dualistic paradigm, but this is a forum post and not a book so I'm attempting to get to a point without much further delay.
I'm asking this question here in the Lounge as my first post because...
I was born with a very "philosophy site" kind of mind. That is, when I'm on the net and in the land of thought. I'm generally a pretty cheerful fellow, but I can also be annoyingly inconvenient to members of tribes.
It's a bit embarrassing to start off with my life story here
but I thought it might be helpful to put some cards on the table before engaging further. I am sincerely interested in learning more about Buddhism, and also in sharing my own related views.In my next post I will share the story of my life starting at age 1 and take you day by day through the entire story that followed so that I can talk about myself without pause for the next seven years to demonstrate how I've left my ego totally behind.
BTW, this is a joke, not a threat. I'm done. Say stuff at me should that interest you. Thanks.
