Comments for Sara Ost

Comment on Anger by Jason L.

Jason L. — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 06:33:00 +0000

I have to agree with Ariella. I know for my part anger comes in the form, most often, in being confused, frustrated or hurt emotionally. Anger also seems to be a “safety blanket” for a large portion of the male race as a whole. It is ok to feel angry cause that is a “manly” emotion. You can’t reveal your weekness or inadequacy, you hide behind your anger.

Comment on Anger by Kim D

Kim D — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:29:33 +0000

You’re a brave girl Sara! Not a topic many are willing to approach, let alone confront and dissect as you have here.
Anger and fear are indeed the issue of the day, I agree. We can point the finger anywhere and everywhere else (at a president or country or institution) - and why not? It’s much easier to judge someone or something else rather than look in the mirror. The internet has only made a long-standing problem bigger and louder and harder to ignore. Maybe this is a good thing? We’ll see, won’t we?
My hope is that more people become willing to open their eyes and their hearts; to stop venting at others and take a good hard look within; and ask “why am I so angry and afraid?”. The deep dark places inside us are where the answers lie..and where the healing begins. In my humble opinion.
Thanks again for the thoughtful post.

Comment on Anger by Sara

Sara — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:37:18 +0000

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

Will respond more adequately later on, time to start my day.

Comment on Anger by Amy D

Amy D — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:58:34 +0000

Wow, what a great piece Sara.
Fear and anger go hand in hand. We become afraid of what we don’t understand and for those folks not accustomed to feeling fear, well, that’s not a good place.

I think anger is also hyper-focusing, not being able to look beyond a moment.

And as for anger on the internet, that’s a whole other platform because we’re not held as accountable, people can’t see our facial expressions and body language and misinterpret as we do the same to them. Very easy to sling remarks when all you have to do is hit send.
Imagine if we all had to be seen when on the internet? Our mugs on the screen to own up to the comment?

Comment on Anger by Justin Bailey

Justin Bailey — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 05:30:38 +0000

I blame red meat.

But on a serious note I believe that the anonymity of the internet serves as a lubricant for people’s mouths (or fingers rather). Those things that they wouldn’t dare say in public for fear of the ramifications of such statements or actions are easily transmitted digitally at targets unknown either for the kicks or in some sad form of sublimation. Avoiding anger all together isn’t healthy of course. It’s good to vent sparingly or channel anger into productivity but the fact that people effectively “get away with” anything that they say on the internet is a huge power trip.

Comment on Anger by Ariella

Ariella — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 03:48:56 +0000

I learned that anger is an emotion that usually exists because of another emotion. For many (including me) it’s often frustration. For many it’s fear and sadness.

Whatever it is, I like what you said about compassion is “paying attention to the anger” - because if we pay attention, we can usually see what’s behind the anger… get to the root of the issue that is ailing us, and well, heal.

Not that it’s always that easy. And when we’re angry, it’s mondo important to get our aggressions out (without hurting anyone).

I had some students really make me angry today. I have to figure out how to deal with anger, because 6th graders will often do something that frustrates me. I’m not a yeller, I don’t like being mad.

Ah, the journey.

Comment on Anger by Sarah Supernova

Sarah Supernova — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:46:37 +0000

Ah, very interesting. What gets me about angry comments is the way people must insult, must feel superior. Snarky. We’re in a culture of insult. As if any tender, innocent trust or belief has to be squished, or dowsed with acid — and quickly!!

What I really noticed was the anger in the comments to the PETA post on EcoSalon ( http://www.ecosalon.com/controversial-peta-stunts/ ). People getting really up in arms about dietary choices. How about saying “These are statistics I have found about eating meat, do with them what you will. I am happy and healthy with my diet, I truly hope you are happy and healthy with yours.” What’s this need for a war of superiority? That’s what gets my goat.

Or, if someone writes a post about alternative therapies or the power of breathwork or yoga, or even just spiritual centeredness, someone must come in and proclaim it “woo woo.” Well, if it works to enrich someone’s life, then why must you call it names? Just agree to disagree and carry on.

Those are the things that bug me. I don’t feel personally insulted by any comments on my own blog posts. I just get irked that we can’t raise the level of dialogue to a mature one.

Cheers!

Comment on Anger by Posts about Digg as of March 25, 2009 » The Daily Parr

Posts about Digg as of March 25, 2009 » The Daily Parr — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:35:06 +0000

[...] about Digg as of March 25, 2009 Anger - saraost.com 03/26/2009 Interrupting your normal broadcast for a discussion about something [...]

Comment on EcoSalon Has a New Look by Sara

Sara — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:10:55 +0000

Hi Sherman, I can’t recommend WP highly enough. I wouldn’t be too concerned about the rankings issue - in my experience it’s never been a problem. Google increasingly favors blogs in search rankings, esp. with the latest algo change, so happy blogging! (P.S. Our PR stayed at 6 after moving off the custom CMS to WP, and our SEO/results improved quite a bit, too.)

Comment on EcoSalon Has a New Look by Sherman Boyd

Sherman Boyd — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 01:52:25 +0000

I’ve been thinking about using Wordpress as a lightweight CMS, but I’m worried about how Google has been penalizing blogs in search rankings.

Did you notice any effect on your pagerank or search status after switching to Worpress?