Re: The old days - Aboard the Apollo - 1973
Apparently you don't understand common English insofar as it's applied to the internet.
Moderator Noun: 3) a member of an online message board or electronic mailing list with privileges and responsibilities to approve or reject messages and uphold the terms of service.
O.P. OP means 'original poster' in discussion forums. The original poster is the person who started a discussion thread, and OP is used to refer back to that person as the responses grow.
You're the O.P. of this thread, not a moderator. You have the same exact rights and privileges here at ESMB as everyone else does. No more, no less. If you choose to be an ego-fag (an Anonymous term) then knock yourself out.
Technically I am the O.P. pf the thread, you are right about that but as I pointed out in my post which you quoted, O.P. does not cover all of the duties which I chose to do such as welcoming newer posters to the thread and ackowledging and thanking people for when they make good posts.
We often talk about thinking outside the box both on this thread, and on other threads on ESMB as well as other internet sites and in discussions about life. I have a question for you and I am asking this question in a sincere manner and am not trying to make you wrong, Can you please tell me and the other thread members why ego is involved or why it is egotistical for a person to want to do a good job at all the things he or she does. You, Gizmo and most others who agree with you guys are equating doing a good job as a thread O.P. with being egotistical.
I attempted to do an outstanding job as a father,in running my business for 37 years. in aerospace, in every job I was posted to in the Sea Org. in being a good brother, in being a good friend. Why is that egotistical? If you can give a good answer to that question, or if Gizmo can, I would then modify my behavior. I really do not think however, that doing whatever one does at as high a level as one is capable of is an egotistical trait.
I just cited 6 or 7 posters on this thread as mentors of mine. Mentors are associates whom a person learns things from. Thanking mentors, applauding excellent posts, spending time to write a detailed treatise in answer to Gizmo's question as to whether Judaism is a religion, a race or a combination of both. I wrote this in direct reply to a query made by Gizmo. Did he respond to what I wrote or acknowledge me in any way? No he did not. I don't really care but the fact that he did not respond to my post was duly noted by me. I think several other people found that information useful. Taking the time to write that treatise was not egotistical, I was just trying to do a good job posting on this thread.
An egotist does not thank other people for adding on to his writings as I thanked Enthetan for the fine critique he did of my treatise. In fact, I admitted to him that I was not an expert in that topic and would appreciate it if he would forward me some references where I could learn more.
Do you want a good illustration of a man with a huge ego, we have it in the person of L Ron Hubbard, a man with an absolutely humongous ego. He claimed to be Source in this universe, he made his word sacrosanct, criticizing anything he said would lead to a visit to Ethics. He dumped all over his 3 wives, even denying the existence of the second wife. He abandoned all his children, again even denying that one of his daughters was his child. He allowed his most loyal wife to go to prison for misdeeds which he originated. That, my friend is an example of an egotist. I don't fit that profile.
Running a thread on ESMB is not particular anything to be particularly proud of. If that is all that all person has to show at retirement age and beyond that person has not lived a very full life. The thing is if one is going to put in a lot of time and effort on such a thread, why not do all you can do to make the thread a special place, a real forum where people of varying opinions and ideas can come and share their knowledge in a safe and non partisan chat board type of atmosphere. The other things which makes being the O.P. of a big thread worthwhile is the friends, current and past which one can make from such an activity.
I was able to forge a working relation with CO2, a wise and intelligent man who is connected to many VIPS, I managed to make friends with Purple Haze, a legend at the early CCLA. Though never meeting him personally, I have been able to benefit from on online friendship of sorts with FoTi, of late I have a slight acquaintance with a German, Leland, FoTi became a personal friend as did Sweetness and Light and now I have made friends with a person with two masters degrees and who has taught university level philosophy courses at an Ivy League caliber University, of course referring to Maria.
Meeting friends of this caliber is what makes posting here worthwhile. I would have never had any of these friends had I not started this thread. Meeting such friends and dozens of others more than outweighs having to take barbs and be insulted by people who I really do not care for all that much. Sure, I would like them too if they made worthwhile posts on a regular basis but some of them are just mainly interested in more negative pursiuits.
So, that if my answer to you. I do not consider myself an egotist. I am just a guy trying to do a decent job as a thread O.P. I appreciate the criticism you made and admit that I should have chosen a word other than moderator to describe what I do here. I will take your advice to heart and not use than term again as a descriptive for what I do here. That's about all I can do to accommodate you. I thank you for posting here from time to time and hope that you continue to do so.
Lakey
