I want to improve., Another of those introspective posts.

Some of the reasons people gave for me not being a suitable mod candidate in the recent topics about prospective new mods opened my eyes to certain facts about myself that I really hadn't given enough attention to in the past. A major reason why I have been in a bad mood lately on here is because I realize how utterly lacking I have been with regard to being a model member of MFGG.

I have changed a lot since I first joined here, and not for the better. I used to try to get along well with everyone even if I strongly disagreed with some of their viewpoints; but later I became increasingly more abrasive, letting my annoyance with certain stated opinions of others influence my posting to a large degree in some cases. Some of the worse examples of this are the infamous happenings in the Jerry Falwell topic, my overreactions to Draku's replies to my posts, and, likely worst of all, the 4chan incident. I have to admire members who are cool-headed enough that they can still express distinct opinions on things without apology (ironic how I can be either abrasive or overly apologetic depending on my mood...), but aren't at all obnoxious-sounding when they do so, and keep a laid-back attitude. Also I admire people who even when they feel strongly provoked by someone, just stay calm (though really Draku wasn't that provocative in his posts directed at me; my reaction was mainly due to my quick temper, which I seriously need to work on). These are the ideals I should strive toward in future. From now on, I'm determined, even if a topic should contain blatant religion-bashing or something else that displeases me strongly, to keep cool and calmly post something to counter their claims, if that seems necessary at the time (otherwise I just wouldn't bother replying). As for incidents where I feel provoked or outraged, I shall always try my best to remember that the mature thing to do is not to fight back angrily or to fuel fires.

Another thing I'm not very proud of that I have done on MFGG is my former constant, fairly silly-sounding rants about "rebels". I still feel strongly about the issue of people complaining excessively about, harassing, and slandering the administration, but really, the way I pontificated about it not long ago (see that post of mine shown in Cutman's video for an example) just made me look like I was attempting to be MFGG's Valiant Hero - in a word, I was appearing overzealous, however much I don't like to admit that for reasons which I'm sure most of you know. There were surely ways of expressing my sentiments in a more mature-sounding way than constantly ranting loudly against "the rebels".

In short, I plan on improving myself drastically. I want to be to the fullest extent possible the good member I originally hoped to be when I joined, and the fact that I've seemingly made several enemies or near-enemies here since then is not good. Hopefully I can reverse this to some extent at least, and become a member that most people are able to respect.

If you wish, you may post areas in which in your opinion I could use improvement as a member; I would welcome such suggestions and not be offended by them. Of course, I am not inviting flames or anything else that breaks the rules, and I do not want this topic to come off as an attempt to garner either pity or self-esteem either. I did not make this topic because I was pitying myself; it was for the constructive purpose of improvement.

Thanks for reading.

Some people have an incredibly hard time adjusting to social situations; the laundry list is brief but the changes are not easy:

- Learn to not be so concerned about what people say about you
- Do not concern yourself a great deal with the justice or injustice on the boards unless you can easily remove yourself from it
- Be yourself, most importantly. Grant is Grant, the trick is to just be Grant; don't try to impress anyone, don't try to burn anyone.

It is a huge, and sadly common mistake among even the most prolific posters that you do not gain anyone's respect by being a loud-mouth that tries to prove people wrong constantly. It takes a pretty big man to admit to his inadequacies and even more so his desire to improve. The effort is appreciated; really, all it takes is just for you to be you, your equality here is determined by your ability to present yourself, not the self that you are presenting.

Got it?

Don't let a stupid forum change you too much.

Well, I don't find you much of a nuisance, really. Just sometimes it seems like you want to start an argument, not just voice your opinions. Stay away from persuading other members to think like you. That's never good, so never do it.

And about the mod thing, at least your name was mentioned! I didn't get any recognition from anyone and I've been a member longer than you have!

Oh and sorry if I came off as annoying in the "China censors POTC3" topic. Did I? Because if I did, I'm sorry. I wasn't in the best of moods.

This post has been edited by Mariotroid on Jun 23 2007, 01:22 AM

you people take this mario message board too seriously

Duckboy is right.

Oh boy do I sound hypocritical. >_>

This post has been edited by Mariotroid on Jun 23 2007, 01:26 AM

For some reason I laughed at this.

Anyway, I was surprised to see that you were an 06'er. The way you act, you seem like an 05'er at least (I'm basing this on stereotypes, sue me.) So you're not as bad as you think you are, IMHO.

If you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all.

Thanks for the good advice. However, I don't completely understand what you mean by your second suggestion. Could you please elaborate on that?

To tell you the truth, I actually have even greater personality problems in real life. Fixing myself up on here could well help me with dealing with my real-life attitude, which I surely need to do.

I see nothing wrong with persuasive debating, or in general with trying to convince someone to come to agree with your position on something, as long as it isn't done in an aggressive manner, or too often. If done in a calm, rational manner, it can be an invigorating thing for both sides, it seems to me. But you are correct about it not being a good idea to look for arguments.

Don't worry about it. We were both in a bad mood then, unfortunately, and I was quite possibly being annoying there myself, whether you were or not.

Your posting here reminded me of the time I made a big fuss about that pope-related avatar you used to have. Sorry I didn't act more mature then. I should have just sent you a polite PM or something about my feelings about it. :/

Good advice, and something many people (myself included, of course) really ought to think about more often.


Thanks, everyone, for the feedback. It is appreciated.