I think it’s time to step away from Fluther for the most part.

I can’t remember the last time I felt like I really helped someone here and that’s what I got the most out of. I also can’t remember the last time I felt that someone really heard me in a discussion. I’m not sure of the cause so I’m not sure how to fix it.

It’s starting to feel like one voice, yelling loudly, rather than a respectful discussion of different personal opinions. It’s really frustrating to have a single line of a quip picked out for rebuke repeatedly rather than the central idea it contained. It’s frustrating that the discussions seem to trend toward the personal, with assumptions to fill in the blanks about a person rather than questions. I’m sure I’m guilty of it as well, but not intentionally. I’d rather just put my energy into something else I suppose.

I’d like to say thanks to the community as a whole. You’ve taught me a tremendous amount with your experience and opinions, thanks for sharing them. You’ve also helped me through some tough times where a little anonymity went a long way.

Take care and good luck to you all. I’ll stop in and update this with projects and ways to stay in touch later.

I know this message might come across as self-important, that’s not my intent. I have visited a lot of old fluther-friend’s profiles hoping for some hint of where they have gone and why. I thought I’d leave a note.