“ Don’t be afraid to be a fool. Remember, you cannot be both young and wise. Young people who pretend to be wise to the ways of the world are mostly just cynics. Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us. Cynics always say no. But saying yes begins things. Saying yes is how things grow. Saying yes leads to knowledge. “Yes” is for young people. So for as long as you have the strength to, say yes.
— Stephen Colbert, via Dave (via heather-rivers)
(Source: lived-loved-hoped-lost)
Twitter Isn’t “Over”, I’m Over It.
Last week in Los Angeles I participated in a live Q&A as part of an ASCAP expo on songwriting. When the topic of Twitter came up, I explained my waning interest in it being part of my daily life. By no means do I think it’s over as a medium altogether, but I do think that the days of “Twitter: The Breakthrough” have passed, as has been and will continue to be the case for every online social network. It’s reached it’s cruising altitude, so to speak. Patterns and templates are emerging. The Twitter-bred syntax isn’t really doing it for me anymore.
And call me crazy, but I don’t think it’s the healthiest thing in the world to read scads of mentions/@replies and effectively open the floodgate of other people’s approval/disapproval. Finding out in 140 characters what a stranger has to say about you is like a mathematical equation without an established value of ‘x’. Who are you, stranger? What do you stand for? What do you like, and if it’s not me, then what does move you? What DO you look up to? Once I find that out, I’ll know how disappointed I should be.
This is where Tumblr comes in. It’s the future of social networking if your image of the future features intelligent discourse. I love reading other Tumblr users replies, because they’re thoughtful by virtue of the fact that if they’re not, they’ll bring the intellectual property value of their own blog down, and that’s a commodity on Tumblr.
This post is an experiment in itself. If you want to communicate me, open a Tumblr account, follow me, repost my blog and then add to it. I’ll follow you back. Agree or disagree, lionize or demonize, but for God’s sake, be original. You’ll have all the room in the world to do it now.
JM
i cant believe how incredibly you just put into words how i feel about, well.. the internet. im a people girl. i like to be close. and by close, i mean i want to know how the people around me are feeling, why they feel that way, what they think, and why they think it. this whole issue really started dawning on me when i got out of my hometown. small towns are notorious for how personal they get. maybe even too personal, because everyone is in your life and business whether you want them to be or not. but when i got to college, it’s the complete opposite. i never knew how lonely i would feel not having all of those people so close to me. maybe thats why i’m bad at twitter?
if twitter were a real life situation.. it would be you walking past someone (maybe you know them, maybe you dont..) and saying, “sleeeeep, why cant i get enough of you.” or “@so-and-so keep runnin’ yo mouth and see what happens!” and then keep walking without a second thought or care. that would be awkward. i hope that never happens to me.
.. john mayer. ive only to been to one concert, but your thoughts, words, and music are so jam-packed with a rare honesty that i havent really ever heard before. they sort of help me to be honest with myself, and i really do turn to your music on my bad days. thanks for sharing your amazing gifts with everyone. they/you make me smile :)
stef.
“ i hope that there is a kind place, in outer space, that can erase the pace of a frowning face, and less than love-filled days. i dream that there is a well in hell, that accepts pennies and “wish me wells” for hopeful hearts that simply forgot to swell. i pray that there is a star in the sky, that’s not just a line in a forgotten lullaby, that sheds more than light, and that isn’t just another night satellite. i believe that there is a smile, that is worthwhile, that makes me crave a life of more than just survival, and that will bring falling in love back into style. -alexander
