I came here because I make my living with my keyboard and I wanted one that wasn't a piece of ****.
I stayed because I noticed that many of the conversations were genuine and that there's less pretense here.
And because people share many of my interests.
I've noticed that a couple of people sound a bit alienated and a bit alone. You have to believe this:
Asking questions, tinkering, trying to improve, (whichever other thing you thinks makes you nerdy or otherwise worthy of being separated from the pack): that's only nerdy if:
1. You believe it to be nerdy.
2. You want it to be nerdy.
If you want it to be nerdy because you are truly reveling in your nerdiness then I applaud you.
If you want it to be nerdy or if you believe it to be nerdy and nerdiness gets you down perhaps you are just afraid of being different.
Here's the thing: you're perfectly justified in this fear. The 'herd' mentality (and notice how the herd mentality automatically sounds so much more noble if you call it pack-awareness - same basic behaviours but if I apply it to predators instead of prey - even if the prey is a herd of huge freaking elk who could kick your head clean off its neck) is often lambasted in the press but the herd mentality is what got us out of the trees and it's a big part of what made us such a powerful species. Your fear is justifiable, but if you are afraid you are different I've got news for you: you ARE different. You have two choices at this point: run with it or be run-over by it. There are plenty of shades of grey, here, I'm sure, but you are different.
The antidote: courage. Notice how infrequently courage is mentioned in any culture? Start paying attention to this. It really isn't mentioned that much at all. It's not really all that present in songs, in shows, in literature, etc. A good place to hear about it: French Literature. Alexandre Dumas or Edmond Rostand (Cyrano de Bergerac is one of my favorite examples). If it's not that common we don't really learn much about it. So start teaching yourself about courage. Challenge yourself to take little steps to become more courageous every day. Savor and appreciate every little victory you gain. Recognize your defeats for what they are: an opportunity to apply more courage.
Courage! Be more brave!
And I don't mean brash, stupid or brutish either: there's plenty of that.
