Under Construction - MHWA Retreat

I think what Charlie is asking is very simple and doable; he doesn't want generic responses, responses that don't offer thought-provoking and simple sharing constructive opinion to the topics because I believe this group is mainly created so that people can connect and learn from each other's experiences and not necessarily to endure a month of blogging just for the sake of the prizes.

I didn't blog on here just yet but this is no difference than, for example, 30DBC (and you can ask Norb about it and he'll confirm since it's his activity) most of the writers on the site rather focus on getting the prizes than, actually, writing something that would prompt the readers to think/agree/disagree with what they read. Not to mention open interesting discussion in a blog entry itself. I stumbled upon so many boring blogs on the site, blogs whose entries offer very little or not at all information about whatever. So many bloggers respond to prompt with 2 sentences and call their work finished here. What I as a reader can conclude from this? There is no effort, actually, from the writer's side at all. There is effort— to run after monthly prizes— but that's all there is. This is okay if a leader allows but in a mental health group is a big NO. I think that whoever thinks this is the kind of blogging where only MBes and awardIcons, and GPs matter, they are wrong. Mental health group's purpose is to simply support and LEARN from each other's experiences. As Charlie said, if someone doesn't feel like writing about specific topic, or if they don't have a clue or are uninterested to learn they rather need to skip the topic instead of writing: I don't know.. I don't have any opinion... I'm not interested in this topic... I never met someone like that... and similar generic, non-constructive responses from which a reader can't learn a thing. Seeing these kinds of responses only means one thing in a blogging world— I'll write whatever just to get the monthly prizes.

When I just joined the site, I met Charlie and other folks like Kylie, Hooves, Norb, Jess, Beth through the blogging challenge. Charlie's blog "Muse of Music" (which is unfortunately set to private now) is full of interesting themes and opinions on given prompts as well as his own life experiences because when I think about him from that time, he had it way worse than what he has now. Anyway, what I want to say is we are writers, therefore, we live for a written word. Tomorrow you'll want to write a bestseller, do a thesis for school, or have your child diagnosed with some disease you've never heard of before and there will be no help reading things like: I don't know anything about this.. I'm not interested in this topic... I don't know anyone who suffered that disease... and similar generic responses no one here or elsewhere care to read.

To wrap my thoughts, Google is a real friend to ignorance. If you are unsure of something, know little or not at all about a certain matter, Google will never turn his back on you. Instead of cutting a problem in the roots by turning blind eye to a topic that doesn't interest you or you have no experience with, rather say things like: I Googled this and found this... I copy/paste this from that site.. and here is what I think about what I just read.

Edit: I really think it's pointless to login to WdC only so that one write I don't know anything about this kind of response, especially when one has too many things going on in real life that leave very little time to spend on the site. Rather don't write anything at all than show the ignorance because this group is created to put ignorance and (eventually) stigma that is revolving around certain illnesses on the side.

Charlie's latest email and this post are created to encourage people to think constructively, to explore and learn. Email isn't sent, and this post isn't written to discourage members from participating in the monthly mental health challenge, and to give a hard time earning exclusive MB and other prizes. And once we learn that the prize is something more valuable than a MB and awardIcon, this will be the time to feel proud of ourselves and call it a day upon finishing with a monthly blogging.

~Minja