Add a Cracked Pot?
Sep 25 '00 (Updated Aug 21 '01)
I realize that in reality, no one really cares how I decide to add someone to my web-of-trust. And that is perfectly al-right with me. Most of you (us) don't care, except for the ones who have more than 300(or 3000..lets go with that) that have them on their WOT and only 15 or 30 that they trust personally. Intriguing isn't it? Why would you want to put someone with 3000 others trusting them on your WOT? Do you really think that they are going to trust you? Or me? Shoot, I am a slave to their popularity. And so are you. It is not their fault. They are trusting who they want to trust. Maybe. There might be someone that they would like to trust but find it somewhat of an embarrassment to add them. It is you who are trusting them. And do you know why you trust them? Maybe it is because 3000 other people do. Suppose?
I am not here to bash the popular. Far from it. I am happy that they have worked so hard to gain that trust and I hope to someday be just as highly thought of. Could happen. I grow more each and everyday. But today was different for me.
Someone with-drew their name from the ones who have put their faith and trust in me. I am not sure who it is. I have not updated my written list since about the number 50. So I have lost track. Not that I have so many to count, but this bothered me. I realize that some put you on their WOT in the hopes that you too will trust them in return. And when you don't? Well, off goes your name. So be it. You have to give someone time to trust. Some people take a hell of lot longer than others to trust.
When I read and rate, I will try to read at least 3 to 10 reviews at one page view. As a rule, even if I like their style and topics of their reviews, I still hesitate to add them to my WOT. A lot of people judge you by the company you keep. Those being on your WOT in other words. So you have to be selective and research their reviews. How did people react to their writings? You know, it is not always true that someone is to be distrusted just because they do not have all "HR" reviews. Too many people are guilty of rating with an "R" or "SR" or even an "NR" simply because they did not like the subject of the review or the person's point of view. This is sad. There have been many that have moved me to tears and many that have angered me so, but you can not rate on those feelings. Fair is fair and that is not. If you find someone that does not have many that have trusted him/her...well check a little deeper. It many be the subject matters that they are writing about and not the quality. You can not treat people as unequals and that is what you are doing when you rate with personal views on the opinion.
Oh, I know, this is just another one of those editorials. And you are right, it is. But people are human beings and they have opinions. Is that not why we are here? Right. Maybe someone did not like my way of looking at things. Maybe they know someone who distrusts me. Maybe I missed reading one of their reviews or maybe I did not add them to my WOT. Who knows? I am a "cracked pot". I have flaws and so do you. That's right! You know who you are and I am here to tell you that you do have flaws. Do we not have but one perfect one? That is correct and he is not on epinions, except for the spirit he instills in us with some of the reviews that we write. So why should we take an attitude with some who may not write as well as some. Why should we hold lack of education against them? Doesn't it show in their writings? Of course it does and you can tell prejudice by the ratings. Maybe the feelings behind the review was sincere but not presented well. Maybe this is all this person knows to do or is capable of doing. You have to go a little deeper than one review to find out.
People get down right excited when someone "big" adds them to their WOT! I know that I do. Just recently there have been 4 people that added me that I thought never would. But they did. I have had them on my WOT since the beginning of my epinion-hood and suddenly they added me. I had them on my WOT because I love reading them and I trust them. If it was for mere show...I would have taken them off along time ago when they did not respond to my adding them. So you see. Sometimes it takes time to examine a "cracked pot". Maybe they are worth adding to your little group of trustees. You will never know if you do not give them a chance.
To me a "cracked pot" is someone who does not seem to fit in. Someone who is slow to perfect their writings. Someone who seems to have no trust in the world or the ones that do trust them are misfits also. A "cracked pot" is someone who longs to be trusted, but may be unsure of how to get that trust. Someone who tries to be noticed but just can not seem to stand-out. Some of you higher ups here should take the time to help out a "cracked pot" or two yourselves and bring them up in the world by showing them a little personal attention and respect. What wonderful things a friend can do for ones self esteem. I have tried to help a few and I have got really upset at a few. I always regret a angry comment that I leave and I regret having angered them and maybe causing them to loose faith in me. Second chances are not illegal you know and everybody deserves one.
I have made my mistakes and as a matter-of-fact am here to announce it to the whole world of epinions. I already have discussed it on a couple of boards. Now I want to share it with all of you.
I plagiarized a review once. OH MY GOD! Now I want everybody to run to their sites and click edit on the little WOT thingie and remove me. Those of you that do trust me. I did not do it intentionally. My review was good, and I decided to make it better. So I went to the manufacturers website and copied the specs to include in my review. Now people, all I was wanting to do was help the consumer by trying to include everything I could think of. I did not want anyone to leave my review feeling like they were lacking info. Well it was fine, except for one person. No names. He knows who he is. He "NR"ed the review, thus causing an over-all "NR". Devastation set in. He had rated most all of my work. I was not on his WOT, but he did read and rate all of my writings and rated them well. I e-mailed him and inquired about it and he told me that he did not approve of the specs being added "exactly". Fine. I deleted the review and re-done the whole darn thing (with-out the specs). He asked if I minded if he still read my reviews, because he enjoyed my work. I said of course. I was not mad and I was in the wrong. Well, to my knowledge, he has not rated one of mine since, even though I am still on his notify list. Why? Embarrassment? Or is it because I am a "cracked pot"? I don't know. I just know that I feel that I lost a potential friend and it hurts me a lot. My own stupidity and a lesson well learned.
This seems to be a bunch of garb and ranting. I hope it does not seem that way to you and I am hoping that you understand my point that I am trying to make. We all make mistakes. Some are bigger than others. We all need to give people a chance. Not to make fun of them and their writing. We all began at review #1, didn't we? Some of you just grew quicker than the rest of us. Some of us never will grow. Give the "cracked pot" a chance.
As with the majority of my editorials, I have to include a little story to further push my point across, and this review is no different. Below is the story of a "cracked pot". You will see what I mean and I hope that it helps you understand where I am trying to go with this editorial.
Thank you for reading and rating ~~†~~ God Bless
Cracked Pots
A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water in his master's house. Of course, the one perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."
"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"
"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts", the pot said.
The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."
Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it.
I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."
Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots.
But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.
You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. There is a lot of good out there. There is a lot of good in you! Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape!
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Epinions.com ID:
bluehawq
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Member: Audrey
Location: Arkansas
Reviews written: 257
Trusted by: 726 members
About Me:
Jitterz on WoW Anub'arak server. For the Alliance
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