I discovered yesterday that some folks don't like my analogy of flies gathering around a particular post I wrote. For the record, that post was not about me and whether or not I go around wringing my hands over page-views and hits. Or whether you, my faithful friends are faithful enough. How wise would that be?
Why would any writer complain about readers? or even those who just found me? I wasn't even talking about the occasional fly-over made by some who dive into the mix from time to time. I was making an observation of how some posts seem to draw more attention than others, and how the oddest websites show up in my stats when I write about stuff that involves controversial folks like Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin (though I haven't written about Sarah in two years), or Obama's health-care plan.
Personally, I think many folks literally salivate over train-wrecks and Glenn Beck criticisms. I found it rather interesting, for instance, that I had four peeks at my site by someone from Huffington Post. In case you don't know, that is a liberal site that abhors all things conservative and especially Glenn Beck. Then I has some from Forum Baptist Life. I clicked on that and found my name listed as some kind of "Influential SBC Blogger". Neither of those sites have ever shown up in my stats. I don't frequent them. I simply found it rather odd and ironic that the only time some folks visit a site is to see what they might chew upon.
Somehow a few of you thought that I meant you were some dirty little insect since I used the "flies" analogy. I'm glad that my friends knew it was not meant to say they were some nasty little thing. Take Sanica, my pal from India. She's more like a butter-fly. She flies in about every day and gathers her fill and flits on over to other posts she enjoys. She's one of my Face-book pals who found me through Devotional Christian. Then there's my dear friend Mary. She's like a fire-fly. She comes in and picks up on a specific point and lights up my life with her ability to grasp the irony of which I speak. Mary reads constantly. I'm always blessed when she shows up. We often chat about other things that are totally off-topic when she visits. Then there's Tim Guthrie. I like Tim; I often agree with him..am I calling him a fly?
I could go on, but suffice it to say...some folks tend to assume too much.
Some folks assume the worst; they conjure up all kinds of fanciful thoughts, then assign motive to what one is saying, rather than looking at what is said. Still, others are non-assuming. They read what they see, and if they don't understand (before judging another), they ask a question. To others, even a question is suspect. Some folks just don't trust anyone, and it shows in how they bully their way into conversations, push everyone else's thoughts out of the way, then assert their own views to be the all-to-end-all.
Some folks put you in a pre-labled box and assume they know you better than you know yourself. These folks tend to criticize you for daring to even write about bugs when you're speaking of a trait, of generalities, and thoughts to which they aren't even privy.
I've had a couple of folks dislike a couple of my analogies, recently. Yeah; can you believe that? LOL. Can't win them all. Flies. Folks don't like flies in a post to illustrate a point. I suppose I could have said honey bees or ants. Butterflies or fireflies. I just don't think the same punch would have been delivered. Flies seemed to be the perfect analogy for what I was observing at the time.
Jesus used pigs, sheep, goats, white-washed tombs. He used fish, sand, and rocks to communicate His thoughts. He used specks and logs to illustrate judgment. He used seeds that die in order to live; He used weeds, tares, and wheat. He used salt that's valuable, and salt that's worthless. He used sickles, swords and crosses. Sometimes a post calls for an eye popping illustration. Other times it calls for a more tender analogy.
Never assume your readers know what you're thinking. They don't. Unless you tell them. Even then, some just keep on assuming they know what you think, and overlook the "point" you try to make. No matter how politically correct you speak your mind, there is someone who wants to correct you. I just figure one man's fly, is another man's bass bait. What do you think? selahV
