years of experience

[Guest guest]

> Hi Harsha and Lobster and others,

>

> That's right, e-mail communication does deserve care and consideration.

> One one hand, it's evanescent. On the other, it's archived for years on

> various servers. E-mail is a medium I've been using since 1982 with

> varying degrees of skilfulness. I like to:

 

Hi Greg

is Goode your real name? - unusual.

Gosh you are lucky to have those years of experience :-)

 

> -treat what others write as confidential, even if it's sent to a list.

 

Indeed it amazes me how people offer very

personal details to complete strangers.

(which I think is healthy and shows openness

unless that person

is doing so in 'cry for help' mode

which is often answered in some

rather peculiar ways . . .)

Most people respect others

confidentiality and that they have been taken into

someone's confidence.

However there are some strange

people on the internet and I am 4.5 of them.

So as you say we have to respect others

revealing . . .

 

> -treat what I write as public -- who knows where it might end up?

 

It seems that we often have

public, private, internet personas.

Eventually I feel these become closer

 

> -never make something personal unless saying something positive.

 

Positive is very dependent on where we are. I find that in

objective terms everyone is trying to do and be the best they can.

 

Many thanks for the other points below which are equally

worthy of further thought and repetition . . .

 

Lobster

 

=======================

> -listen with kindness and openness and care

> -give credit to others, acknowledge their concerns

> -if writing a criticism, direct it towards a position or

> concept, not a person or their supposed motive or state or

> experience or conduct.

> -use AHIMSA!! Here's a relevant example, which applies to

> *e-mail* but, as Bruce-ji might be able to attest, not necessarily to

> all forms of published communication, such as magazine articles:

> if there's a choice between saying something in either of two ways,

either

> (a) clever and biting, or (b) pedestrian and bland, opt for the latter.

> -don't catch the disease of "teacheritis," thinking that I can

> speak to another person as though they came to me for deep teachings!

>

> There is a set of standards I like, borrowed from the intro message to the

> Groups' "Dharma-Direct" mailing list, about "right speech":

>

> 1. Is it the truth?

> 2. Is it fair to all concerned?

> 3. Will it build good will and better friendships?

> 4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?.

>

> Ideal Guidelines:-

>

> 1) If it is not truthful and not helpful, don't say it.

> 2) If it is truthful and not helpful, don't say it.

> 3) If it is not truthful and helpful, don't say it.

> 4) If it is both truthful and helpful, wait for the right time.

>

> Love to all,

>

> --Greg

 

It was recently mentioned that using voice mail technology

might be useful.

Well I am setting up a new forum

for this and will

send out the FAQS to anyone emailing me privately.

 

(we have ironed out most of the tech difficulties

- which mostly seem to do with volume)