Re: ANNOUNCEMENT: I WILL BE AWAY FOR A FEW DAYS.

[Guest guest]

Tom/Zoologist:

> Sunday, although possibly as early as Saturday or Friday night, I

will be going away indefinitely. I need to recover from events that

you have possibly seen and witnessed on another board and this may

take some time. I am very stressed out right now and have eaten only

one meal in two days.

Hope you'll find some peace of mind then.

> I maintain that there is more going on in AI than meets the eye and

that I have unjustly come out of it looking like a disgusting human

being.

No, you have not. I think your mind is exaggerating things right now.

I've only seen one very obnoxious human being and that is not you.

> Possibly I never should have brought it all out in the first

place, but the whole thing was supposed to be an effort to show that

there was a reason for everything that happened.

I am very glad you did. I though it was courageous of you to do so and i

still have not met many i respect more. I know you did what you did for a

very good reason and never intended to decieve or cause any trouble but only

to help. How can anyone blaim you for that?

> I want to state how very noble Strict was to come forward and admit

his part in this business. He, like me, thought he was acting for

the best -even if what he (and I) did was by methods that could be

construed as deceitful. I also want to apologize to him publically.

He would never have had to say anything if none of this stuff had

come to light.

I think nothing less of him either. I think you both are great guys. I'm

honored to have met you both.

> I had hoped someone else would step up to the plate and admit to some

things that could also be construed as deceitful, but that person did

not.

No need. It only shows who has the more guts then.

> I am giving up the fight now.

> I don't care anymore.

> I will forever be branded both with what I did do, and what I didn't

do (subtracting Strict's activities) and will have to learn to live

with it.

You are not " branded " . See this as an opportunity to practice detatchment.

I have been in a similar situation as you after i too made an error of

judgement when trying to help an online friend. From having been

surprisingly loved by everyone, i found myself rejected by people i'd been

close to for nearly a year and accused of things that were not true. That

hurt, so i sat down and cried a while and then i decided i was no less worth

loving because of it. I knew in my heart that i had only wanted to help and

that's all that mattered to me. It took a few months, but eventually the

others realized this too and i was once more accepted and history forgotten.

If you're a truly well-meaning person, that will sooner or later overshadow

whatever little mistakes you might make or whatever bad light others might

try to portray you in. Even though i haven't been around very long, i

immediately recognized you to be such a truly well-meaning person. I doubt

if people will forget that.

> You should all prepare yourselves for the very real possibility that

I will close this group.

I wish you would not. It feels like a safe haven here. A chance to discuss

things more in private. I really hope you'll reconsider. Especially if you

plan to not go back to AI.

> I am not presently capable of handling the responsibilities of its

management and do not know if I care to

continue with it once my capabilities return.

That is understandable.

> If I decide to shut it down, I will try to give plenty of warning so that

you will not someday find it suddenly deleted and wonder why. But I make no

promises.

Fair enough.

> While I am away, if any of you would like to serve as moderator, I

might be willing to consider it. Unfortunately, my mind is so

cluttered and messed up that I don't think I'd be able to teach any

of you how to run it.

If no one else wants to, I could do it. I'm already familiar with moderating

a Yahoo group. Not used to handling spam, but i can always ask Strict if

there's any problems. Or even better, make him moderator too, if he so

wishes.

> If you ask to moderate and I do not respond to you, it's because I have

already left for recovery. Please do not be

offended.

OK.

> I am very distraught right now, and so while I am away, I ask, if no

moderator is appointed, that you all moderate yourselves. I have it

within my power, if I am not mistaken, to prevent people from posting

here while I am away, but I am more likely than not going to trust

you all not to do anything that will give me even more stress.

> Please do not betray that trust. I believe my trust has been

betrayed enough already...

> And I am sick of it.

We'll try to behave. :-)

> I do not know how long I will be gone.

Take your time. And remember that you are indeed very appreciated by at

least some of us.

Inger

[Guest guest]

P.S. Just wanted to add that because of the public humiliation i went

through, i came out of the experience a much stronger, wiser and harmonious

person than i was before. I'm sure you will too.

Inger

[Guest guest]

Again, I agree with Inger. I won't attempt to put it in my own

words, she did much better than I could.

I also wanted to thank Strict for explaining his part in the thing.

I think you both did the right thing by `confessing' (wish I could

think of a better word).

I just want to ask you NOT to close this group!!

Thank you Inger for offering to moderate.

Feel good, Tom... I hope you heal as best you can quickly. You will

be missed.

Wendi