Post by Scootaloo on Jul 17, 2015 7:44:36 GMT -5
(Before I go ahead with this, I would like to point out that none of this is aimed at anyone in particular. At all. If you do feel personally offended by what I'm saying here, feel free to take it up with me privately - but know that I didn't mean it that way. I love you all.)
It's come to my attention that things have been... hard for us, recently, in terms of what I'll call social cohesion. Getting along. And after yesterday, when things seemed to hit a low on the (now dissolved) MUCK Skype Chat, I thought I might clarify some things for all of you.
Firstly, that we are a very mixed group full of incredibly strong individuals who all have their own beliefs, views, and life experiences. Everyone here is different. And of course, that means that getting along is not always possible, for whatever reason. And before I go any further it's worth pointing out that this is completely okay. We are allowed to disagree. We are allowed to differ in our opinions and thoughts. Without these little quirks and nuances we would not have our individuality. But we also need to respect that of each other, to think carefully about everyone's differences, to be thoughtful and gentle in the way we address clashes of opinion.
Secondly, that we are here because of a show which expressly seeks to teach us and reinforce the values of good friendship, the Elements of Harmony. We are good at following these - for years we have been loyal, kind, honest and generous to each other, we have shared in laughter and created a magic, safe space for us to come to. There is no reason why this should be weakened today, or any other day. As the show teaches us, the best kind of friends are those who are able to look past old grudges, let things go, forgive. Understand that, as people, we never really stop learning about what it means to be a good friend.
My third point therefore looks deeper into the second. We are not just a collection of fans of My Little Pony in one specific corner of the internet. We are not simply a group of friends. We are a family. You know I often jokingly refer to myself as your 'internet mom' - but perhaps I mean that in a more serious way, too. And if not your mother, certainly your sister - as all of you are brothers and sisters to each other, too. We have an incredibly strong bond.
Equestria MUCK is, for many people, one of the few places they can come to escape what can be a very difficult, tough world. Like I said in the previous paragraph, this is a safe space. This is where we come to relax. This is the dining room where we eat dinner together and discuss our day's work. This is the living room where we sit and play games and discuss what's on TV. This is the garden where we sit in the sunshine and set the sprinklers on each other as a prank and pass lemonade around. This is our home. You guys are my home.
This is the group of friends for those who feel alone. This is the family for those who feel disconnected from theirs. We are a force for good, I believe we are - we are reassurance, we are happiness and strength. We need to build each other up, not tear each other down. We need to be there for everyone for the days when we feel the MUCK is all we have.
The last thing I want to say to you is this. Be careful with the words you use. Think about what you're typing before you press send. Be gentle with your language, courteous in your discussions. Be loyal to each other, forgive each other, allow for discrepancies in opinion and please, please, whatever you do, don't throw your friendships away. Because these are some of the best friendships in the world.
I love you all so much. You all mean the universe to me. <3
Vinyl xXx
A final note: I would ask that you don't post replies on this thread just in case it (somehow) manages to cause more conflict. If you have any queries, please come to me - I tried to be as thoughtful and respectful as I could.
It's come to my attention that things have been... hard for us, recently, in terms of what I'll call social cohesion. Getting along. And after yesterday, when things seemed to hit a low on the (now dissolved) MUCK Skype Chat, I thought I might clarify some things for all of you.
Firstly, that we are a very mixed group full of incredibly strong individuals who all have their own beliefs, views, and life experiences. Everyone here is different. And of course, that means that getting along is not always possible, for whatever reason. And before I go any further it's worth pointing out that this is completely okay. We are allowed to disagree. We are allowed to differ in our opinions and thoughts. Without these little quirks and nuances we would not have our individuality. But we also need to respect that of each other, to think carefully about everyone's differences, to be thoughtful and gentle in the way we address clashes of opinion.
Secondly, that we are here because of a show which expressly seeks to teach us and reinforce the values of good friendship, the Elements of Harmony. We are good at following these - for years we have been loyal, kind, honest and generous to each other, we have shared in laughter and created a magic, safe space for us to come to. There is no reason why this should be weakened today, or any other day. As the show teaches us, the best kind of friends are those who are able to look past old grudges, let things go, forgive. Understand that, as people, we never really stop learning about what it means to be a good friend.
My third point therefore looks deeper into the second. We are not just a collection of fans of My Little Pony in one specific corner of the internet. We are not simply a group of friends. We are a family. You know I often jokingly refer to myself as your 'internet mom' - but perhaps I mean that in a more serious way, too. And if not your mother, certainly your sister - as all of you are brothers and sisters to each other, too. We have an incredibly strong bond.
Equestria MUCK is, for many people, one of the few places they can come to escape what can be a very difficult, tough world. Like I said in the previous paragraph, this is a safe space. This is where we come to relax. This is the dining room where we eat dinner together and discuss our day's work. This is the living room where we sit and play games and discuss what's on TV. This is the garden where we sit in the sunshine and set the sprinklers on each other as a prank and pass lemonade around. This is our home. You guys are my home.
This is the group of friends for those who feel alone. This is the family for those who feel disconnected from theirs. We are a force for good, I believe we are - we are reassurance, we are happiness and strength. We need to build each other up, not tear each other down. We need to be there for everyone for the days when we feel the MUCK is all we have.
The last thing I want to say to you is this. Be careful with the words you use. Think about what you're typing before you press send. Be gentle with your language, courteous in your discussions. Be loyal to each other, forgive each other, allow for discrepancies in opinion and please, please, whatever you do, don't throw your friendships away. Because these are some of the best friendships in the world.
I love you all so much. You all mean the universe to me. <3
Vinyl xXx
A final note: I would ask that you don't post replies on this thread just in case it (somehow) manages to cause more conflict. If you have any queries, please come to me - I tried to be as thoughtful and respectful as I could.