Help Improve Vocation Station!

[HeavenlyCalling]

I think that if all the vocations to the religious life were thrown in there with the vocations to the married life it would be very confusing. I think the idea of having two sub-forums is a good idea, you could go to either one, but the people discerning the religious life could still have our close-knit sence of phamily.

There are plently of places that you can talk about marriage and dating in your life. You can talk about it with your parents, with your friends, or with your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/significant other, because most people go through this in thier life, there are plently of places to talk about it.

That said, I think a sub-phorum would be nice because you could talk about dating, ask for prayers for your ______ (fill in the blank i.e boyfriend, girlfriend), Catholic education of children ect.

But having a separet place for the religious-life-discernment-people is very important, at least to me. This is where I spend most of my time on phatmass (I read some of the others, but I mostly post here) and where I feel the most comfortable. Mostly I dont want to loose the sence of pham, when I come here with a question or concern I know I will get a responce from someone who has gone through the same thing, or IS going through the same thing, I want to keep the sence of Pham, is my bottom line.

[franciscanheart]

[quote name='shortnun' post='1116886' date='Nov 10 2006, 02:19 PM']
4) That existed before. And it was easy enough to be edited by anyone and keep neat (even though there were a few of us who were primary editors).
[/quote]
Those were all just fake examples but if you like them, hey! Great! We'll go with it! : And about the one quoted above, that thread had a lot of extra commentary and you had to scroll back through it to see where the last update was. Add to that errors in coding... it just seems simpler to have the one thread to refer to with the extra thread (unpinned) for other discussion about who is entering when and where. I don't want to kill the discussion, just have a more concise, legible, organized list up top.

[quote name='HeavenlyCalling' post='1116911' date='Nov 10 2006, 03:25 PM']
I think that if all the vocations to the religious life were thrown in there with the vocations to the married life it would be very confusing. I think the idea of having two sub-forums is a good idea, you could go to either one, but the people discerning the religious life could still have our close-knit sence of phamily.

There are plently of places that you can talk about marriage and dating in your life. You can talk about it with your parents, with your friends, or with your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/significant other, because most people go through this in thier life, there are plently of places to talk about it.

That said, I think a sub-phorum would be nice because you could talk about dating, ask for prayers for your ______ (fill in the blank i.e boyfriend, girlfriend), Catholic education of children ect.

But having a separet place for the religious-life-discernment-people is very important, at least to me. This is where I spend most of my time on phatmass (I read some of the others, but I mostly post here) and where I feel the most comfortable. Mostly I dont want to loose the sence of pham, when I come here with a question or concern I know I will get a responce from someone who has gone through the same thing, or IS going through the same thing, I want to keep the sence of Pham, is my bottom line.
[/quote]
Okay I'll say it again...

You aren't going to lose that! We're all still here. And it will be clear which threads are for religious life and which are not. There are still going to be religious vocation discerners here to comment and pray and support you. It's not going away!

I'll think of something more to say to this effect later. I understand y'all are worried that you are going to be losing something. But you're not.

Time for work now... play nice.

[onlygrace08]

hmm... well I've read through the whole thread and I must say that I agree on many points with Veritas and Heavenly Calling. However, I think I will just wait and see. Perhaps the changes won't be that big?...

[benedictaj]

[quote name='onlygrace08' post='1116984' date='Nov 11 2006, 11:52 AM']
hmm... well I've read through the whole thread and I must say that I agree on many points with Veritas and Heavenly Calling.
[/quote]
Yeah, I totally agree with them. However, I don't like wasting time online so I'm not on phatmass that much any more - so my opinion isn't that important.

God bless!

[HisChild]

I only come on to PM every few days or so and had my computer in the shop for over a week. I come back and WOW! What a debate.

I've seen several threads in the past on VS on the married life. And God bless you all who are married who DO consider your marriage a vocation. Because so few do, even though it is a vocation and one that is incredibly difficult to live. In fact, I think we need MORE threads on married life as a vocation. If we do, maybe more people, especially those visiting this phorum will start looking at it AS a vocation. You know? And yet, right now, I don't see much space devoted to the married life. VS is the only phorum where I've seen threads dedicated as such. I can't see that threads for other vocations belonging any where else. Not only that, but if there were even more pages made for PM, wouldn't that increase the necessary bandwidth and cost more for Dust?

I really enjoyed discovering PM earlier this year, when I was discerning. I had in fact, already chosen the monastery where I wanted to enter, but it was great seeing that I wasn't alone in my discernment. After leaving the monastery, I was. . .well, I was lost. I knew that while my vocation was to holiness, my vocation as a state in life. . .well, I wasnt' sure where I was being called. Consecrated single? 3rd order? Religious? Married? I still don't know but truly, VS to me, is pretty EXclusive, rather than inclusive, concentrating more on the vocation to the religious life. I personally would LIKE to see more threads on various vocations, so that those who have begun their initial discernment might be able to see the various forms that vocational discernment takes.

I can't say that I would find 'wading' through the various subject titles of threads as tedious. If there's someone who is looking into discerning their vocation and not quite sure of the path. . they'd have to flip back and forth to the various phorums or subphorums. I enjoy the threads all together.

I rarely go to any of the other phorums. Not sure where our Lord is calling me, I cannot imagine flipping through phorums gathering information and posting. When I think of subdividing I think of a hypothetical. . .a woman discerning cloistered Carmel and posts for info on spirituality. Then say there's a 3rd order Carmelite who posts on another 3rd order sub phorum. She would have to flip from her own sub phorum to the 'religious life' subphorum in order to even see that thread and know it exists before she could respond. Now? Any 3rd order threads, etc. are already on the same phorum, making things much more simple.

My thoughts are that we should make VS a universal vocation discernment phorum. It seems less divisive. . . I hope my opinion doesn't offend anyone's sensibilities. It's just my own perspective. My $.02, if you will.

Pax Christi,

D.

[franciscanheart]

[quote name='HisChild' post='1117212' date='Nov 10 2006, 09:54 PM']
My thoughts are that we should make VS a universal vocation discernment phorum. It seems less divisive. . . I hope my opinion doesn't offend anyone's sensibilities. It's just my own perspective. My $.02, if you will.
[/quote]
You share our vision. I agree with the points you make as they are the ones I have attempted to make throughout the thread.

[Veritas]

+

The points that seem to have been made in this thread:

If Hughey has an idea about VS, then she is beyond reproach.

If Hughey asks for opinion, she means only those with which she agrees.

If Hughey proposes an idea based on "trust" and "hope", then it must be accepted, because, after all, who argues with "trust" and "hope" and is simultaneously religious?

If you agree with Hughey, she will post a smilie applauding you.

If you disagree with Hughey, she will dance around the issue in a long response post.

If you are a mod, you don't need to be neutral in a "debate" you begin.


This, sadly, is what this entire thread appears to have been.

Where is the fruit? What is the purpose? WHY is it going on?

Just do what you're going to do already and stop this farce at democracy and community. This thread should go away -it is flawed in its original posting, for a variety of reasons, which I believe were illustrated above.

Edited November 11, 2006 by Veritas

[franciscanheart]

Whenever a moderator does something that some other member doesn't like, the moderator all of a sudden has a personal vendetta.

Whenever a moderator, regardless of the support of many, impliments something someone doesn't like, we're out to ruin the fun for everyone.

Whenever a moderator does anything that someone doesn't like, they are immediately attacked, criticized, and made to feel evil.


I have done my very best to remain civil - charitable - KIND, even. If I had a problem with a specific person, I took it to a personal message. I have not spoken unkindly of anyone in public. I have done my best to answer questions, respond to concerns, and keep an open mind and heart about this. But I have to say, this is getting out of hand. If it wasn't before, it definitely is now. It has become a personal attack.

I don't appreciate (AS A PERSON) the way I have been treated. I have listened and responded to points just as well as the next person. My answers may not have changed, but neither did the complaints.

I would ask that all of you remember that even though we have a moderator tag strapped to our name, we are still people. And we are people who care about the good of this site. We do our honest-to-goodness best to do everything we do with charity and respect. We give the benefit of the doubt, never doing something if we're unsure about it. And yet we are harped on the minute you don't like something we do. We go unnoticed until it is personal - and then we're disliked.

It has been the same since I became a moderator so I can't say I'm surprised by the words that have been brought up against me. However, the effect is still the same. I am still human and the effect is still the same.

[Veritas]

[quote name='hugheyforlife' post='1117319' date='Nov 10 2006, 11:33 PM']
Whenever a moderator does something that some other member doesn't like, the moderator all of a sudden has a personal vendetta.

Whenever a moderator, regardless of the support of many, impliments something someone doesn't like, we're out to ruin the fun for everyone.

Whenever a moderator does anything that someone doesn't like, they are immediately attacked, criticized, and made to feel evil.
I have done my very best to remain civil - charitable - KIND, even. If I had a problem with a specific person, I took it to a personal message. I have not spoken unkindly of anyone in public. I have done my best to answer questions, respond to concerns, and keep an open mind and heart about this. But I have to say, this is getting out of hand. If it wasn't before, it definitely is now. It has become a personal attack.

I don't appreciate (AS A PERSON) the way I have been treated. I have listened and responded to points just as well as the next person. My answers may not have changed, but neither did the complaints.

I would ask that all of you remember that even though we have a moderator tag strapped to our name, we are still people. And we are people who care about the good of this site. We do our honest-to-goodness best to do everything we do with charity and respect. We give the benefit of the doubt, never doing something if we're unsure about it. And yet we are harped on the minute you don't like something we do. We go unnoticed until it is personal - and then we're disliked.

It has been the same since I became a moderator so I can't say I'm surprised by the words that have been brought up against me. However, the effect is still the same. I am still human and the effect is still the same.
[/quote]

+

1. I don't think you have a "vendetta" but I it seems this thread has been dishonest and it doesn't seem right to pretend otherwise.

2. I don't think you're out to ruin fun -It seems the purpose of this thread has been a sham, and I'm annoyed.

3. If you've done something wrong, I hope you'll to correct it. No one should feel evil, unless they've done evil.

4. An open mind and heart? okay, I'll leave that alone. A personal attack? More an evaluation on the content of the posting. I do believe that's up for review and debate, that's the criteria, right?

5. I don't appreciate the way I have been treated, personally, on this thread or through pm. Why? Because this thread is DISHONEST and there have been personal attacks. Furthermore, if what I stated above is inappropriate, half of debate table should be gone.

6. Yes, as a mod, I hold you to a higher standard -kind of like a priest. With privilege comes responsibility, right?

7. I've started several threads in Open Mic, thanking mods for the work they do. It makes pm a nice place to be. I'm not harping on you, I'm concerned about the appearance of untruthfullness of the original post. I regret that there was no other way to reference the points of the thread creater and moderator, which is significant, but through the use of "hughey". I would have rather stated something less pointed, because I know people take names personally but could find no suitable alternative. I'm sure you are a very good person.


But, you're not answering the points. Are they wrong? Or, is this just another long post dancing around the issue?

At this point, and I've said it before, you have every right to do what you will as mod -just don't pretend a bunch of things are up for discussion, which aren't. I reiterate, this thread is not accomplishing it's goal, it should be closed instead of applauding those, who agree with you and dismissing those who don't as if that's somesort of helpful democracy. Or, move it to the debate table and see what those folks think of all this.

Edited November 11, 2006 by Veritas

[franciscanheart]

I have said once already:

I am sorry that my original post was misleading. My bad. You know that there is much support for the inclusion of all vocations and we are looking for constructive ideas for making that happen and still helping this place to be easily used by all.

I KNOW I have said that already. And here I am saying it again.

Hate me for being unclear in my first post. But don't continue to say that this thread is dishonest.

Concise enough for you?

[Veritas]

[quote name='hugheyforlife' post='1117359' date='Nov 11 2006, 12:28 AM']
I have said once already:

I am sorry that my original post was misleading. My bad. You know that there is much support for the inclusion of all vocations and we are looking for constructive ideas for making that happen and still helping this place to be easily used by all.

I KNOW I have said that already. And here I am saying it again.

Hate me for being unclear in my first post. But don't continue to say that this thread is dishonest.

Concise enough for you?
[/quote]

Yes, better. -perfect, I daresay. But, no one seems to be reading that far, and so the comments on, "I like VS how it is now and I like VS how you've decided it will be, except I don't know that" are perpetuating. So, please consider beginning another thread, and just getting rid of this one, so that the confusion and all the baggage with it can go to rest!

Yes, I'm a stickler for words. Thank you for being concise so that I could understand you! Apology most happily accepted.

Blessings,

Edited November 11, 2006 by Veritas