"Those articles let me tell you dont have any sense,because
are very poor thematically ,and are in any senseuniversal at all and for that
reason is very pretentious to put them in the WEB. They seem to b reflexions of
an american graduate that has never been out of the USA..The world is to big
and too degmented to be so simple minded to send that sort of messages in the
web-
"If a genious like Mr- Toffler gets an anthology of all
what you try to vehiculate in the web he will be very ashamed of having
accepted your invitation.
So I put out a call to you: Am I doing this wrong? I got,
overnight, a dozen really great letters. Half of them made fun of the French
psychologist --they also had a profound healing effect on my bruised
sensibilities. I won’t reprint them here, but suffice to say, you skewered the
poor man real good!
The other half I will reproduce here, because they produced
a warm radiant glow in me -- the glow of feeling appreciated. If it makes you
sick seeing me get my back patted, READ NO FURTHER!!!
Incidentally ... I decided to create a system of OPTIONS,
for people too busy to get all my writings jumbled together. If you go to http://mfinley.com/simplify.htm
... You can pick and choose what topics interest you.
* There's FUTURE SHOES, for stuff about the future, which is
supposed to be my bailiwick ...
* There's OLD PROSE, for those emotional essays about life
and liverwurst that I churn out every full moon or so ...
* And there's the dreaded BRAIN TUMOR TALES category, for
the non-squeamish. (By the way, I really am feeling fine!)
Or, DO NOTHING, and you will continue to receive the full
montie of all the junk I write.
But may I take a moment to say thank you to the people who
wrote in -- the remarks here are just what a dog-eared writer like myself yearns
to hear from time to time. I am very touched ... as I think many of you know.
THANK YOU SO MUCH! - Mike
Dear Mike,
Please keep
writing and sending. If we only read
one theme or just in one subject our continuing education would be very limited
in scope.
I am a
trained engineer / scientist and have worked for 25+ years in my vocation for
the same employer. While there is a
tremendous investment of my time and effort spent at work, there is also a
growing recognition on my part of the vastness of the world we live in and the
multitude of concerns people have. How
will I ever understand, appreciate and/or be able to empathize with my fellow
humans unless I listen and read what they have to say and write.
Your
writings have helped me to stop, look, and listen at my world. Before you wrote about brain tumors, I knew
they were serious and of varying degrees. Now, having had a peek into your mind, so to speak, I can better appreciate
the constant "awareness" of an invader having disrupted a life and feel
I can better understand someone else trying to deal with any cancer. I am also a dog owner, and I admit to having
clicked on your link one time to see this photo of you and your dog and of
enjoying your enjoyment of your good friend. Poets are not my favorite author,
but I do appreciate how some things can be better expressed in rhythm and rhyme
than they could ever be in flowery prose (the Psalms are a great example). I may never get the opportunity to meet you
face to face, but I know if I ever did, I would enjoy the encounter.
So please
keep at it for as long as you enjoy it --- and thanks so much for
the pleasure I have derived from it.
J. G.
Dear Mike,
I think you
are doing a great job with your writing. Granted, I may not like all of it, but
the diversity is interesting. I never know what corner you're going to pop out
of next.
I hope you
don't decide to split up your list. If Mr. Smith truly dislikes so much of what
you have to say, why doesn't he just unsubscribe from your list? That has
always worked for me in the past.
Some people
cannot be pleased. Obviously, your level of intelligence is so far above most
people that your list is not for everyone. All of your stories make me think. Most
fill me with a sense of wonder at some mundane facet of life that had never hit
me quite like that before.
I am a dog
lover with three in my home at this time. Your dog stories make me look at my
girls in a different light. It's almost as if you can get inside Beau's head
and let the rest of us know what it's like being a dog.
Your stories
about brain tumors make me so grateful for my health. I hope yours stays in
remission for a long time. You are truly educating me about that topic. There
again, your wit and ability to step back and see things in a different way
shine, opening my own eyes and mind a bit wider.
As a
computer professional, I find your technological and futurism articles really
intriguing. I especially enjoy those showing you pitting yourself against
technology. I feel like that is what I do all day long. Sometimes the computer
wins, sometimes I do.
Too many
Mike Finley's? Never! We all are multiple personalities in a way. We wear different hats and have different
speech patterns at work, at home, at church, at play. You just show yours to
the rest of us and open our own awareness of ourselves and the world around us.
Anyhow, I
personally like things the way they are. You speak my language in so many ways
and you always widen my horizons. Keep up the good work!
God's
blessings, D. B.
Derar Mike,
Keep on
doing what you're doing. I read your stuff, because one of my favorite things
is making sure I have multiple views of the world, both those similar and those
different from my own. I don't always read your items directly when they come
in, but within days, something about the subject will have piqued my interest
enough to take a few minutes diversion from my daily efforts and spend it over
coffee with Mike. :)
And by the
way, I found myself absolutely shivering over your descriptions of what it's
like to have that sinister something inhabiting the space where the youness of
you lives. I neither have a brain tumor, no know anyone personally who has been
diagnosed with one, so once again, Mike Finley enlightened my world with a view
of one I may never need to understand, but which I am glad to be empathetically
aware of. With as much email as I receive, I don't save things I won't
"need" very frequently. I saved that one, it speaks to me on a level
below consciousness, somewhere. I'm not completely sure what it's saying yet,
but I got a certain feeling when I read it. Maybe it was the reference to Walt
Disney, to finding out the story, I don't know. If I ever do know, maybe I'll
write and tell you what I hear.
I enjoy
being surprised by the variety of subject matter of each of your essays - most
of the other listservers I subscribe to are about a particular subject - this
is like getting the grab bag surprise, and you never know when it will be.
If you find
that many people don't like getting so many varied subjects, perhaps you could
send one mail for every three or four subjects and put pointer to the web
presented stories, with the title and the leading paragraph in them. That would
cut the number of separate mails for anyone who gets too many, and yet not give
you the logistical nightmare of setting up a bunch of different lists. I'll
take 'em all, anyway you dish 'em out, myself!
Be Well,
P. M.
Hey Mike,
I'd prefer
it if you'd keep the Future Shoes email column just as it is and let me decide
what I'd like to read or not. If you leave it up to me to visit your website to
see what I've missed I'll miss too much. I enjoy getting your columns via
email, even if you do write about baseball:)
Please feel
free to publish my comments but please *do not* publish my email address.
M. S.
So far I
have liked the resourceful, diverse and interesting articles you have been
posting. I am not for the idea of splitting them according to the theme but may
the majority's will prevail. If you'll have to split I suggest another category
*all articles*. I've never had regrets about my subscription.
Kind Regards
Daniel in Kenya
[That's what I've done, Daniel -- just stay on
this list, and you'll keep
getting everything. Or go to http://mfinley.com/simplify.htm to
pick the topic that most interests you. -mf]
Remember one thing about the
French male - they suffer from a severe
inferiority complex that compels them
to 'build' themselves up by knocking [trying
to] others down. But alas, they are so inferior,
they cannot even do that well!
Shelley's husband, Mike
I think the more honest
and unabashed you are with your ideas the more you utilize your special
talents. I vote you don't interrupt or staunch the flow of Loveless perspective
for fear of disapproval. You needn't fear, anyway, your well within the bounds
of acceptability and goodness.
People can't understand how they
can feel drawn to your writing even though they don't necessarily agree with
the various perspectives. I think that's because people misidentify your
talent. They call it "intelligence" therefore everything you say must
be "right." Yet they don't agree with some things, ergo paradox
arises.
It's not
"intelligence" per se, I think, though it may constitute a subset of
such a broadbrush. The ability to paint fresh word pictures and make old things
appear new isn't just "intelligence" although it requires it in the field
of writing. More so than art or sculpture.
Hue, Jr. always makes this
mistake. He thinks gifted people should be intelligent, intelligent people
should always be right and say smart things and it's all about winning and
losing intellectual arguments.
Wrong. The older I get the more
I realize that there's no end to the reversals and second-guesses of being
right. That's all about ego and right brain. And relativeness.
We become concerned with
maintaining the label/image of "intellectual" but it's a shallow
victory if we pull it off over a period of time. It's a fragile plateau.
Maybe Life isn't just about
physical machinations which is really the realm of intelligence. In fact, when
we leave our physical bodies we might find that intelligence, along with
personality, are the first to go.
Life might be more about style
and versimilitude. God doesn't need to absorb our intellectual lessons, but He
does need to learn about Himself, build Himslef a body/mind/self, through each of our adventures and dreams.
I think you're an advanced soul,
you SEE all things new. This idea of "intelligence" that we all bandy
around is kid stuff. It's like who's the top gun in town. The smart realization
we had last year is folly this year as we realize a slightly higher truth.
I'm sort of suprized you let the
French guy's words get to you. I tried
to put the best construction on his complaints, get past the butchered language
and spelling to see what his real beef was.
It was like sifting sand through my fingers. Nothing there at the end.
This is worrisome because you're worried that he might
influence others to drop the newsletter and decrease your readership. But I think you're not writing for those he
might influence or those who don't get it or those who are confused by the
variety of subject matter and miss the forest for the trees. I encourage you to
write for the rest of us, the ones who DO get it. I sometimes fret that you'll
lose your courage to describe life the way YOU see it. Course this doesn't put
bread on the table, in the short run. But just think of the money that will
pour in a hundred years from now! Your name will be right up there with....
Kabir.
The reason I'm going on and on
is because I'm afraid, as evidenced by this Frenchman complaint, that you'll
pullback, even in the least, with what you do best. When instead you should be
throwing off the shackles of fear and the restraints, and tell it like you see
it. It's not about intelligence. Or unilateral conformity. Or having all your ducks in a row. Or saying
intelligent things. Obviously you're highly intelligent. Lots of people are. But
lots of people can't do what you do in YOUR style.
Don't apologise and never admit
you're wrong!! Is what Andrew Nelson
and I used to laugh about.
Whoa, what came over me?? Well, I might have been vague but at
least I wasn't brief. 'Bird
That was like a post from the
old, old days. And I haven't posted anything, don't even BBS, for eons.
Remi Fasolati
Michael:
I'll second the opinions listed
here. I would rather receive all of your columns. I find most of them to be interesting, insightful, well
written, and thought-provoking. I may
not always agree with you, I may not always enjoy each piece, but, on the whole, they are well worth my time
to read them. I must admit that I found
some of the ones you wrote last week to fall short of the standards that you usually attain. If last week was
an experiment in finding the right
trade-off between quality and quantity, please consider it a failure. As a faithful reader of your
columns, I prefer that you only send us
your gems, but on whatever topics you choose.
Thanks.
A.C.
Dear Mike,
So what, Mr. Smith may live in
Paris, but he has incredibly poor sentence structure, punctuation and spelling. I say delete HIM from your list!
Keep up the good work. I look forward to your writings.
Anne Brock
Mr. Finley, I'd like to ante up
on this issue.
1) It is _your_ work you are offering, as a gift to those open to receiving
it. 2) Anyone who finds too little value in your offerings to justify their time
can unsubscribe. 3) Yes, sometimes I read a column and it doesn't "touch"
me, so I shrug it off and press the delete key. 4) Yes, sometiems I read a
column and it does "touch" me, so I copy it into the clipboard to
save with other columns from you and other writers who have managed to connect
with me, and whose artistry with words and emotions enriches my life.
I haven't sent you a "Thank
You", and I'm reminded that I have been remiss in not offering my
gratitude not just for the columns I've saved for their special value to me,
but for plugging away and producing and sharing even when you yourself are
aware how little recognition and external reward will come of it.
I admire your talent, but even
more than that the willingness to share even the harsh and the mundane, and so
often to reveal a valuable insight in the process.
thank you
C. H.
Dear Mike,
I've always enjoyed the range of topics, and I count myself
lucky to have the opportunity to read your stuff! The French Guy is an
orthodox, concrete-sequential, pretentious pedant who lacks both emotional intelligence
and the ability to appreciate creativity. Mr. French Guy is fixated on content
he deems worthy of his time, petulantly dismissing all else. Of course he has a
choice he should exercise, but criticizing you for producing more than he likes
is downright arrogant!
My support of your newsiletters is unqualified. I'm still
waiting for you to charge a subscription fee; I'd gladly pay it because you
deliver challenging and interesting stimuli via your writing. I need it and I'd
pay for it. I'll bet many of your readers today are throwing $25-$50 at restaurant
food three or four times a week! Food for Thought (my brother in law's
bookstore name in Golden, B.C) should be similarly valued.
I don't imagine you want or need any more reinforcement, but I
haven't written with praise for you in a long time. The fact is that I have
enjoyed all of your stuff right along.
Trust your judgment about audience. Revise stuff which bothers
you. Your aim and ability to connect are both healthy and remarkable.
Sincerely, M.B.C.
Any vehiculating that you can do which results in pissing off a
French psychologist is well worth the effort.
And I especially like the idea of sending off an article about how you
might be sending off too many articles.
Of course, a series on this would be better.
Is the world too degmented for any
of us? If the universe is shaped like a
saddle, this guy is the horn.
R.K.
Michael:
I enjoy what I've been reading,
although I can't handle more than one or two a day -- they take too much out of me mentally and
emotionally. (In other words, they're
more involved and interesting than the usual info squirt e-mail.)
Maybe you could put in the
Subject line a few keywords, to identify the categories into which one might try to pigeonhole your messages.
Then subscribers would have some sense
about the contents.
R.M.
fuck the french-the diversity of topics that you present are the
exact reason why i read-one day you
have computers in your body- the next day jesus confronts bullys- i might not have the academic credentials
that frenchy does but i'm filled with
enough wisdom to know that he's an assmunch - keep the e-mails coming- it's one of my evening activities that
i enjoy the most--
drnero13
Hi Mike,
Let me decide what I'd like to
read. I enjoy getting your columns via email.
For an Indian who's been thinking in English since childhood, my language and literature have been nurtured on
a reading of largely English and
American writers and an education received from Christian missionaries. Under their "catch 'em young"
principle I was myself very close to entering
the seminary some forty years ago. Hence I could appreciate yr recent article on your seminary days.
Kind Regards
Louis Xavier Swami
PS: The Swami title may imply that I'm a recent convert.
We've been xians for generations.
I too would
like to add my voice to those who do NOT mind the variety of topics you
discuss. In fact, I look forward to reading your thoughts on the various
topics.
To briefly (and as Merfuff will confirm, 'briefly' is difficult for me to do)
summarize why this is so...
First, I enjoy (maybe not exactly the best choice of word here) your frank
discussion of your fight to beat your brain tumor as it has given me hope in
fighting a battle I am currently waging to defeat an illness I'm suffering
from...albeit not as life-threatening but debilitating nonetheless.
Second as a child of the 50's/60's myself, I thoroughly enjoy (yes, this is the
right word here) your accounts of the music, issues, and inpact that those
years had on you, even today. Thanks in other words for the memories!
A third (and I'll make this the last) example of how much I enjoy (g) and have
been influenced by your articles... I purchased my own copy of Thomas
Cahill's latest work..."Desire of the Everlasting Hills" based on
your article. I already own his book, "How the Irish Saved
Civilization" which I found
well-written and enlightening. (And the fact that I'm of Irish ancestry
made it all the more fascinating.) I haven't yet had the chance to start
"Desire..." but hope to do so in the near future.
(See what I mean about brevity not being a strong point for me...)
So in closing, keep up the variety of writing. PEACE!
Sincerely,
'Kassandra'
Dear Mike,
Please keep writing and sending. If we only read one theme or just in one subject our continuing education would be
very limited in scope.
I am a trained engineer /
scientist and have worked for 25+ years in my vocation for the same employer.
While there is a tremendous investment of my time and effort spent at work, there is also a growing
recognition on my part of the vastness
of the world we live in and the multitude of concerns people have. How will I ever understand, appreciate and/or be able to empathize with my fellow humans unless I
listen and read what they have to say
and write.
Your writings have helped me to stop, look, and listen
at my world. Before you wrote about brain tumors, I knew they
were serious and of varying degrees. Now, having had a peek into your mind, so
to speak, I can better appreciate the
constant "awareness" of an invader having disrupted a life and feel I can better understand someone else
trying to deal with any cancer. I am also a dog owner, and I admit to having
clicked on your link one time to see
this photo of you and your dog and of enjoying your enjoyment of your good friend.
Poets are not my favorite author, but I do appreciate how some things can be better expressed in rhythm and
rhyme than they could ever be in flowery
prose (the Psalms are a great example).
I may never get the opportunity to meet you face to face, but I
know if I ever did, I would enjoy the
encounter.
So please keep at it for as long
as you enjoy it ---
and thanks so much for the
pleasure I have derived from it.
Jeannette Gordon
