Fractelle, I'm hoping you don't bow out from OLO. Each time a decent person leaves, the krank-quotient goes up a few notches, besides, you've always struck me as more than capable of going toe to toe with the pessimist chorus around these parts.

My big picture...

I try not to sweat the small stuff. I try to keep things in perspective - we all shape our views from the current affairs and media we consume, but it's important to weigh that up against the practical realities of everyday life.

It's so easy for people to allow their views to become more entrenched and extreme with time, I've seen it happen with people close to me and it saddens me - when it happens there are subjects which become closed off because a person's view becomes too strong and they react with defensiveness when their views are discussed.

A small part of your relationship with that person can die - thus, I think it's important to not let our passions take control of us completely.

But sometimes I wonder how much of that can be a smokescreen... In person I've always been more of a listener than a talker, and I've avoided discussing personal things about myself.
My underlying philosophy is nothing so grand as a formalised manifesto, it's always been more of a science of studying others before relating that back to myself.

But, 'live and let live' has always been a pretty good way to see things, I think. In person I avoid trying to judge others, but I often think that on OLO I've frequently fallen short of this ideal.

Fractelle,
I DO understand In more ways than you think. Give a direct email and I'll talk more.

examinator.ant

I've been away, but on scanning a few threads I see that some people haven't been playing very nicely in my absence. I think I understand Fractelle's position quite well - there are indeed a relatively small number of quite nasty individuals at OLO who get their jollies by targeting more enlightened types. It seems to directed most often by some quite horrible men against outspoken women.

My attitude these days is to 'not feed the trolls', as they say. When they come out from under their rocks I tend to just identify them and then try and carry on as if they're not there.

It's just too tedious to try and engage them, and at any rate if you just let them blather on it quickly becomes apparent to any reasonable reader where they're really coming from.

Having said that, like Fractelle my "BP" isn't far from examinator's. Interesting also that, like them, I often attract the attention of some of the most odious denizens of OLO.

As with the 'Big Picture', I don't think it pays to dwell on the negatives.

The warping of my teenage daughters Big Picture:

17 year old daughter went to a concert last weekend and I asked her how it went (yeah only today, I'm a bit slow remembering what she is up to at any given time) and I was told Heaps of girls wearing “Thanks Kev” t’shirts they got from Supre.

Drunk and drugged teens everywhere saying “yeah Ruddy”[fists in the air].

My 18 year old son:

Works in Syndey, and has left home. He popped in tonight to (actually I think he stole food) have a chat and was moaning about how the country is in debt.

I sent him that video of where money comes from to his IPhone.

My Big Picture: Mostly worrying about theirs.

Congratulations, Examinator, for an excellent discussion. It's so nice to see a thread without any of the usual spoilers.
Fractelle, may I join the others in hoping you won't give up the fight. Don't let the bastards win.
Foxy, I do like your point about hatred/anger. As heinous as the crime of rape is (and as angry as it makes me) I think the worst crime of all is parents teaching their children to hate. This is a crime which can span centuries.
Of course, it is easy for me to say this; I wasn't born in (for instance) the Gaza Strip, or had my family or close friends blown away by enemies of my state/clan/religion.
The Big Picture?
For me it is the prevention of the extinction of the Human race.
This requires several actions which can be addressed right now.
1.An end to war.
2.Protection of our habitat. (So obvious it's almost inconceivable there should be any argument).
3.Making some serious plans to get off this rock (the planet). We have all our eggs in one very fragile basket.
In the more immediate sense, my goal is to try and provide a better world for my children -but not at the expense of anyone else's children. This goal is -or should be- completely in harmony with the preceding 3 points, but sadly...
This post is continued on a new website, with just this sort of discussion in mind.
Please go to
http://thecomensality.com/avasay
And look for 'The Big Picture?' The site is intended to be as democratic as possible, with lots of polls about whatever you like.
I would be deeply honoured if y'all would help me out. I need all the help I can get.

http://thecomensality.com/avasay

Grim, really nice site. Showed everyone in my kitchen at the time I logged in. Even my computer illiterate neighbour loved it. Not often one comes across a site that has such a nice feeling about it.

And even better to see Fractelle there, OLO has lost something precious there and should be crossing fingers it is not permanent.