When do you know you need to take a break from the web forum?

[SPJ]

I have been posting in Chinese forums before. About a year ago, I started to post in this forum. It is tough to post CMA in English!. Certain things are just plain difficult to post in English.

I noticed that some very good posters started to lose their calms and become hysterical if somehow, other members do not see their ways.

Personally, it is a message board. We post some bits of info related to MA in general. We may back them up with personal experiences and some references.

That is it. Who cares if someone disagree or not? Maybe there are reasons they think differently. I usually would repeat one more time my views and why. If still disagreed, I let it go.

Truth is always relative. Some boy like a big girl. Some like a thin supermodel girl. The definition of beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

So when do you know that it is time to take a break and focus on something else?

[red5angel]

When you start to ask when its time to take a break from posting on a forum.

[SPJ]

Yes, indeed.

[SPJ]

Think 3 steps ahead and do not lose your coolness.

So when I was in high school, I played Chinese chess 围棋 with a retired general. I lost all the time. I was so upset. And wondered why and how.

He said think 3 steps ahead and do not lose your cool.

If I am going to do a move, think about the opponent's possible countermoves. And then my counter counter moves.

Never lose the cool. Then moves are reactionary and not thought out.

So I take the lessons to my debate club.

And to the MA classes, too.

[red5angel]

sometimes one appears to lose his cool to throw his opponents off balance.

[MasterKiller]

When you start to look like this.

[David Jamieson]

mk, that was in bad taste dude.

[Royal Dragon]

LOL!! @ the 36th Chamber!!!

[ewallace]

When I take a year or two haitus from the forum, come back, and topics about Iraq are still on top of the threads.

[GeneChing]

Web forums are relatively new to the world. We're still defining its parameters. Personally, I think it's an amazing media, very positive for global relationships. The major downside is that most people are rather poor writers and cannot express themselves well on a forum. The medium of writing allows for a lot of projection - theater of the mind, if you will. I think since we're martial artists here, we all have a bit of a chip on our shoulder and that, coupled with poor writing skills, often creates antagonistic situations. Face-to-face, we could have most of these debates without incident.

Web forums can be horribly addictive. As part of my charity work, I've worked with plenty of addicts; just because the web is not an ingested drug, doesn't mean it's any less addictive. Take gambling, for instance, there's another horribly addictive behavior where nothing is ingested. After administrating this forum for so long, I've had to deal with plenty of casualites. At first, it really surprised me what an effect it has on some people. Now, it's par for the course.

As a general rule, if your dealing with something addictive and you feel you need a break - TAKE IT! By the time you get that feeling, it's probably too late. red5angel is completely right about this. The power of irony is that there's a kernal of truth.

[SPJ]

I do not really have any expectation coming to this forum. So it is all cool.

I was in MD and veterinarian forums.

They absolutely gave me headaches. There are reports and researches agreed to all sides of the story.

I was expecting to know more as a clinician.

Nope, I got confused and do not know what to believe anymore.

So I go by my own experiences and take textbooks as textbooks only.

What ever is proven and updated consensus, I agreed and adopted.

[SPJ]

I feel sad for the wrestler and his wifey.

How do I channel the negative energy? We all feel frustration, anger, and depression etc from daily life.

I usually take a swim, focus on breathing or doing Tai Ji.

If I really am stressed out, I punch the punching bag. The harder I punch, my fist hurts more.

So I know that the negative things hurt me more than anything else.

Now why hit your wife or girlfriend?

If you have basic respect for all living things and of course another human?

Do not take your negative and dish out on your partner.

Do videogames make people violent? May be so. I played more strategy game then hitting or shooting games. Why? I got bored with shooting and hitting very soon.

So how many fake dudes or gals you need to hit or shoot to get how high a score or point?

Yawn and Yawn.

Guess what when you are tired with your triggering fingers, you will be hit and shot, too. There is no final win. Sooner or later, you will be shot, hit and LOSE.

Strategy games are different, you may actually outsmart the computer and win. Assuming you are smarter than the machine of course.

Take the challenge of the mind.

Leave your punching and hitting to the punching bag.

Sad.

I preached too much.

[Mo Lung]

Web forums can be horribly addictive.

So true.

Hi everybody. My name's Alan and I'm addicted to Kung Fu Magazine forums.


(As if it's just this forum!)

[Becca]

when you start getting angry at someone. when you can't post a veiw different from the forum big-wigs whithout backlashing and flames. When you forget which of your personas you are using at the moment. If you have ever logged on to the wrong screen name by mistake. when your family knows little of what's going on in your life, but some guy named YouKnowWho probably does...

[Dao]

Here is a story of what happened to some other martial artist on a different thread. This is when i think you've been posting on the forums too much.

In the Gaia Online forum, there were two guys that couldn't stop argueing against each other about martial arts, so they wanted to prove themselves in real sparring. So they arranged that one of the guys would take a plane trip to the other guys house. They would sparr and whoever lost would have to pay the air fare. This story ended well with them becomeing friends after the fight and gaining more respect for the other. However this seems like going over board in the forums in my opinion.