4 ms·

This is somewhat off topic, but I've discovered the value in keeping things private. I'll go to museums by myself, write down my feelings about what I see, and

This is somewhat off topic, but I've discovered the value in keeping things private. I'll go to museums by myself, write down my feelings about what I see, and resolve to never tell anyone about those feelings or that I even went. A few years ago I went through an intensive powerlifting program for 5 months and decided to never tell anyone about it. I find a kind of power in having private things. I think some of it is owed to my extremely connected nature – I tend to overshare, and like a chameleon I adapt stuff to what people want to hear and see. I can see some of that sentiment reflected in this post too.

mettamage 4y ago
I try to do this, and then I tend to share it anyway. How do you keep yourself from sharing if you’re normally oversharing?
- lelandfe 4y ago
  I struggle too! I try to be purposeful about it. Here's a note I made on my phone probably 5 years ago when I was visiting MoMA in NYC: > I’m forcing myself to not read the art descriptions at MoMA. I want to feel these things without intervention or a priori knowledge. > I will not tell anyone about this I feel OK sharing these examples on HN now, since they're all years old at this point.
psychomugs 4y ago
At the expense of the irony of this comment's existence, I also, privately, like to keep things private. I have the same feeling towards museums. My dad would drag us through museums as the default family trip when I was young. Him being the type to read each and every description, I made a private vow to avoid subjecting others to that kind of boredom. Now I almost always go to museums alone so that I don't feel anxious about my pace relative to someone else. Almost like reading a book, I am free to study or skim as I like and focus on the things in front of me. Instead of the object of joint attention mediating communication between you and whoever else you're with, experiencing these things alone fosters communication between you and the object itself.

mettamage 4y ago

I try to do this, and then I tend to share it anyway. How do you keep yourself from sharing if you’re normally oversharing?

lelandfe 4y ago
I struggle too! I try to be purposeful about it. Here's a note I made on my phone probably 5 years ago when I was visiting MoMA in NYC: > I’m forcing myself to not read the art descriptions at MoMA. I want to feel these things without intervention or a priori knowledge. > I will not tell anyone about this I feel OK sharing these examples on HN now, since they're all years old at this point.

psychomugs 4y ago

At the expense of the irony of this comment's existence, I also, privately, like to keep things private. I have the same feeling towards museums. My dad would drag us through museums as the default family trip when I was young. Him being the type to read each and every description, I made a private vow to avoid subjecting others to that kind of boredom. Now I almost always go to museums alone so that I don't feel anxious about my pace relative to someone else. Almost like reading a book, I am free to study or skim as I like and focus on the things in front of me. Instead of the object of joint attention mediating communication between you and whoever else you're with, experiencing these things alone fosters communication between you and the object itself.