Perspectives: The Conclusion & Verdict

This is the final 'Perspective:' hub of the series - of this original series with this writing team. I don't ever want to wish anyone any manner of heartache, but I do admit I hope this news is just a bit sad for some of you . . . because I hope we've been offering hubs that you've appreciated, even looked forward to from month to month.

I introduced this scheme, a group of writers publishing their perspectives on a common theme, to a number of my own personal favorite writers here at HubPages because the idea intrigued me personally . . . it was my great happy delight that they agreed to join me in this writing experiment. It, of course, would not have been the same experience with other people – I treasure that my experience in this exercise was with these particular people. What HubPages saw was what we each published on the 15^th of every month for the last year – there was much going on behind the scenes throughout this entire adventure.

Emails back and forth were just about constant . . . enlisting a new guest writer each month, selecting a new theme for each month, and hammering-out all the details of exactly how and when to publish, etc. I will not hesitate to admit that, while the original idea was mine and I put the group together, had it not been for Maria & Martie & Shauna the whole thing would have fallen apart early on I’m sure. I’m not too bad with the idea part of things – the actual diligent work that needs kept up with in order for things to run properly and for more than a few minutes, that I tend to fade away from. When I faded away from that here, with ‘Perspectives:’, my team instantly swooped-in and did the things that needed to be done and kept things afloat. I am endlessly thankful to my cyber harem for that.

Our team is disbanding because each has or is moving into other areas of internet writing opportunities and formats . . . building their own websites, publishing their own blogs, etc. This gives me the opportunity to thank them each publicly.

Please continue to follow Vickiw at ~

Grief can Heal

Vicki was a late-in-the-game addition to our team, and she fit in with us all so snuggly that she was instantly one of ‘us’ . . . there was no period of adjustment required. Vicki both easily adopted our way of doing things and easily contributed to and offered suggestions for our improvement. Not everyone would have felt comfortable to participate in decisions, to just go along with things or to propose change, and not just anyone would have been so instantly received as a full-fledged member of the team by a team that had started the team and been at it for awhile – I think it speaks a great deal to Vicki’s character and principles that we all so readily counted her an equal member of our group.

Docmo

Mohan regularly kept us all wondering from month to month if he was going to publish, either on time or at all . . . even wondering if he was still alive. A very busy, transcontinental life often had Docmo abruptly appearing at our publishing deadline – and then aggravatingly posting a hub that was not short of stunning . . . both in the ideas that he shared and in the style of his writing. Our man of mystery, Mohan always made us wonder why we had been unsure if he was going to publish, when from month to month he was often the best of us.

please continue to follow bravewarrior at ~

Bravewarrior's Feathered Pen

Shauna was one of my very first followers here, and no one has been more consistently encouraging to me about my writing. I think nearly every hub I have published has a comment from Shauna, and often hers is the first comment. It was a treat for all of to get to know Shauna better . . . she’s a very special woman and will always be special to me.

Please continue to follow marcoujor at ~

Marcoujor's Musings

Maria is one of those people who is so much more than many might think. First, you can see that she’s as pretty as can be, then you recognize her real talent as a writer – but if you get to know her apart from her published material, if you get to talk back-and-forth with her, you more and more discover how much there is about her to be impressed by. And, if you actually get to talk with her, like actually hear her voice, what a great big giant treat – I’m not kidding, here; Maria might just have the most beautiful to listen to female voice on the planet just now . . . like, knees buckling beautiful.

Please continue to follow MartieCoetser at ~

Martie's Foyer

And I think all the group would agree there is something about Martie that makes her, kind of the indispensable backbone of the team, something naturally encouraging, warm & personable, and just notable about her. I think you can see it in her hubs . . . each hub is like a full magazine dedicated to the theme, with various aspects covered, photos, personal illustration, conceptual arguments, etc – a sort of weight, even humble authority, just seems to radiate from her work. And, again, there’s so much about her that you begin to recognize more and more . . . I wish you all could hear her sing traditional Afrikaans songs, accompanying herself on the piano – what a treat.

MickeySr

And this is me, before a year of writing alongside these ungrateful miscreants . . . all I ever did all day long was smile, I was happy, very pleased and contented with my life nearly all the time . . .

. . . and this is what they've done to me. This last year, dealing with these no-account chuckleheads day after day, has changed me . . . I've gone from all light and full of cheer to severe, practically brutal, downright vicious. I'm worn-out, weary of mending everyone else’s hurt feeling and tending to everyone else’s troubles.

. . . sorry, I can’t hardly treat myself seriously – uh, I wrote for ‘Perspectives:’ too.

I wrote, in the original ‘Perspectives:’ hub, introducing the experiment to folks here ~

“What we think and how we feel about things is defined, not by the things themselves, but by our perspective of things. The particular perspective we are each informed by is defined by our individual temperament, our personal experiences, and our private philosophy of life. That of course means, everybody's perspective is their own, it is how WE see things, what WE conclude, why WE react as we do, etc. It is incumbent upon each of us, if we are to be reasonable people, to recognize that there is the reality of how a thing factually is, and there is the perception of that reality that is particular to each one of us, and that our perception is not necessarily concordant with the factual reality.

It might seem a fatal disadvantage to have our personal perception of things standing between us and reality, that everything that comes before us is filtered through our perception of things, that we don't simply observe reality as it factually is but that instead we interpret reality as our private perception of things presents that reality to us - but the truth is, I believe, that this normal human condition enables us to benefit from a reliance on others, it schools us in not thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought, it is what compels us toward relationship. Because we don't all see everything in just the same way, because we each have our own beliefs and opinions, the wise person comes to recognize that he needs his fellow man.”

I hope, and I believe I am, a wiser man, and a more companionable man having worked with these people. This team, as well as a great list of guest contributors who were each absolutely our teammates, have delighted me and improved me. As we all head-off in different directions, the team members have challenged each other to keep in touch. Writing, writing about real and consequential ideas, reveals people to each other, draws people into one another’s life, provides in a brief and distant relationship a kind of intimacy that even years of actual contact does not always supply. I am better for knowing these people – and I am thankful for knowing these people.

We are concluding the first year, and the first team or writers, of the ‘Perspectives:’ series – if anyone is interested to carry-on this work, to investigate this very special writing experiment, to practice a compelling and educational writing exercise, please do get in touch with me. Of course, anyone can certainly write whatever they want to write and call it whatever they want to call it – but I would be happy to bequeath ‘Perspectives:’ to a new team and remain on as a contributor emeritus . . . perhaps some of our past guest writers, some new folks, anyone who might be interested to share their own perspective on a chosen theme . . ?