Hey everyone,
I am inspired to write this particular blog entry in the hopes that we can all contemplate the very reason we first joined this community in the first place. That being said, I am genuinely interested in reading your own personal thoughts as to why you first joined WU, if you are willing to share them. Please keep in mind, I asking why you first decided to join and/or visit WU (to account for those who didn't sign up right away).
For me, it was my genuine interest and fascination of the Weather. It was not an interest in discussing politics for example (which I have done here myself) nor any other secondary motivation. Shortly after I joined, I realized that I could possibly help others (even if only one person) gain a better understanding of the science (as a result of the knowledge I have obtained from my own personal education and experience). In doing so, it has never been about being in some sort of immature competition with others (as I see occuring here) over who may possibly know more about a specific area of Atmospheric Science for example. This was the specific reason I never shared the full extent of my Meteorological background, for I find it completely irrelevant. In other words, I felt like sharing such information might imply I thought I was somehow more important as a result of my own personal experience in the field. As I have always said (and strongly believe), I don't consider anyone here more important than another based on their own personal depth of knowledge and/or understanding of the science. That being said, I am far more impressed with the character of the individual myself, which I believe makes a greater contribution to society in general. Simply put, I believe ones life is best defined by how much they are willing to give (in proportion to what they are able to give), as opposed to how much they are able to obtain during this lifetime.
A significant reason I have chosen to write this particular blog entry is to ask that we all take the time to think before we post. In my own humble opinion, I think there is way too much of a "we" versus "them" mentality in this community. This mentality develops when we start magnifying our differences, rather than focusing on what we may have in common. With that in mind, I would hope that the vast majority of us here actually do share a common interest in the weather. Likewise, I would also hope that we also share a genuine desire to get along with our fellow bloggers. I can only speak for myself, but I will never feel that the unncessary personal attacks I see taking place on these blogs are justifiable, and you can expect me to consistently address them when I see them take place (no matter who the person is, or what others may think of me personally). There is a huge difference between simply disagreeing with another persons views, and intentionally choosing to resort to attacking the individual themselves (with name calling, false accusations, etc.). In such instances, we should all (as a community) hold our fellow bloggers accountable (as well as ourselves) for such inappropriate behavior, instead of ignoring and/or encouraging it, if they happen to be our friends. The only way to be fair is to treat everyone the same. Sadly, this has not be the consistent theme on these blogs. It all begins with focusing on what unites us, and a genuine respect for all. In reality, respect for others really begins with having genuine respect for oneself.
As many of you know, I have posted in this particular blog (never in my other one) on political issues myself. That being said, I have made an asserted effort not to do so (i.e. 98% of my posts since May 2006 have been completely weather related and not related to politics, Faith, etc.). To be completely honest, I have mixed feelings on the appropriateness of posting on such issues myself. On the other hand, I choose to reserve my own blog entries to focus on the main reason I joined these blogs in the first place (as I alluded to above). So, will you join me in taking a stand for fairness, equality, and making respect for our fellow bloggers the foremost priority in all our respective interactions with them? As always, I greatly appreciate you taking the time to read and/or post in my blog, and I want to wish each and everyone of you a great rest of the weekend.:)
Most sincerely,
Tony
P.S. Such disrespect for our fellow bloggers (as alluded to in this particular blog entry) will not be tolerated here.
