I’ve noticed something and I’m wondering if you have, too. One of the things I enjoy about blogging is the rippling of thoughts and ideas between and amongst bloggers. I don’t think we have club meetings and there’s no secret handshake…or coded lingo. Am I right? 😉 Just awesome humans sharing thoughts and observations, often with humor, consistently with insight, often for the greater good. If there is one, I missed the mission statement, too. You know, the sort of thing that extols team virtues and highlights goals and intentions. Still, my blogging observations brought me to this conclusion: Helping one another feel less alone through spirited comments and positivity is a broadly accepted ideal. No framed mission statement required.
Before you say it, I will — blogging also serves singular purposes. Yes, I see that. Getting words…reflective of our thoughts and feelings…into plain sight is pretty darn satisfying. It’s nice to have readers who chime in with, “Hey, me too” or “Oh – did you know…” as they offer snippets of their own experiences. Super cool…but blogging-as-journaling and allowing a free flow of expression, regardless of any assumed audience is also pretty darn awesome.
More than once, I’ve seen sparks and connections between bloggers and their posts. A fascinating tidbit shared by one, begins a churn of reflective thought for another. Inspiration at work. Interlocking and interwoven threads, like ripples on water.
More than once…with no perceptible, prearranged intention, I’ve seen fellow bloggers share heartfelt posts on strikingly similar topics. No interval existed – no gap – to read, reflect, write…as a result of a friend’s blog…it seems they were written simultaneously. Fabulously coincidental, magically parallel…pointing at the same thoughtful target. (Again, if y’all are having secret meetings and I’m missing out, fill me in…I’ll Zoom in, hop on a call…whatever, but I don’t think that’s happening.)
So, what’s going on? I chuckled…to myself…sitting here at my desk…about notions from sociologists and Carl Jung about ‘collective consciousness’. The concept’s been hotly contested…for years and there’s some tussling about the origin. Was it posited first, this theory about “constellations of beliefs and values” by sociologist Emile Durkheim, or was it Jung? And the dark side of the theory leeches into fearsome territory – cults, for example – where ‘group think’ is desirable, to the detriment of the individual. I don’t want to link to lengthy articles on the topic, but this resource is helpful as a primer if you want to peek.
But that’s not the point. What is? I think bloggers are cool and for the sci-fi fans who love a little retro Star Trek fun, I must confess this: My musings about ‘collective consciousness’ and blogging this morning reminded me of the “Borg” – those nasty aliens who assembled into a hive by hijacking humans to create….wait for it…a collective consciousness! I wonder if either Jung or Durkheim were credited with the inspiration? No matter…it was a Sunday morning smile, worthy, I thought, of sharing with you.
Here’s to more rippling waves of inspiration. No implanted microchips required!
Vicki 😊
Victoria Ponders 
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