The Compassion of A to Z? (Part 2 of 2)

A Conversation Begins

        The response to part one of this two part series was fantastic.  The comments overwhelmingly display support and positive attitudes toward the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge.  I thank everyone who commented on part one and if you missed that post I encourage you to go back and while there be sure to peruse the comment section to get a sense of the A to Z love that is out there.

        In that post I didn't mean to mislead anyone that we had been deluged with negative feedback about A to Z.  That is definitely not the case as the comments on that post will attest.  What I was doing in that post was creating a set up for the discussion  about The Compassion of A to Z.  The complaints actually only amounted to murmurs and unfounded rumors about how some had reacted to the A to Z Challenge.  I think we sometimes have a tendency to hear negatives more loudly than the positives and that's probably why the negatives caught my attention

The Compassion of A to Z

       When I started the A to Z Challenge in 2010 I was already blogging everyday so it was nothing for me to continue to do so using the gimmick of the alphabet.   If one is not used to blogging daily and finds it a chore then there’s nothing wrong with that–the Challenge may not be for them if they find daily blogging too difficult.   I do commend anyone for at least putting forth an honest effort even if they do feel the need to drop out of the Challenge. We especially appreciate when bloggers who drop out communicate that to the A to Z Team so we can take them off the list.

       But before I get into the issues of removing blog links from the list. let me first point out the fact that the Team of A to Z Co-hosts and all of their volunteer helpers put a lot of effort into keeping the list cleaned up as best we can for the enjoyment of the participants.  Despite the fact that we make it very clear on the sign up page the criteria that allows bloggers to participate in the A to Z Challenge, there are always opportunists and as well as others who skip reading our requests and suggestions and just add a link without any thought other than to be on the list.   This is the first inconsiderate act that makes the job more difficult for the Challenge administrators.  Unfortunately most of the problems related to these entries don't become evident until after the Challenge has started and we are all at our busiest.

       Our mission is to make sure that participants will find links that are valid and lead to blogs that are actually posting for A to Z.   Some of you are understandably perturbed when you find a non-participating blog that is still on the list.  Others might feel that we are being too tough when we remove the blogs of those who fall behind.  A suggestion was even made that we were lacking compassion in removing the bloggers who weren't able to keep up with the letters and the daily posting.  The very basic rules of the Challenge are to post daily from A to Z--that's what makes it a Challenge!

        I found the term "compassion" to be interesting as this was the very term that I had discussed with the A to Z Team.   We didn't want to come across as hard-nosed about removing blogs because we know that things can happen to interfere with blogging--computer problems, illness, family emergencies, increased workloads or you name any one of a myriad of life complications that can interfere with our April Challenge.  We try our best to open up a line of communication between us and the blogger who is experiencing problems before removing them.  We leave encouraging comments and send emails.  We don't want to take links off the list because we'd rather the list stay filled with all the starting numbers.   But if we are getting no response then in fairness to you who are playing by the rules we must remove the bloggers who aren't.  We extend compassion but compassion does not mean playing the fool.

The Compassionate A to Z Team

         Those who might have thought the A to Z Team was mean or lacking compassion are unfortunately not likely to be reading this post and that's too bad.  There are probably a few who might be harboring resentment about being kicked out of the Challenge because they couldn't keep up.  Again we have to point out that it is a Challenge--you don't meet it, you don't win it.  That doesn't mean that you are a loser, it just means we hope you try again and better luck next time

         The articles at the A to Z Blog as well as the team members' own blogs and even comments of help and encouragement that we leave are part of our desire to teach about better blogging and to uplift spirits of those bloggers who might be a bit discouraged.  The entire A to Z Community is about friendship and mutual support.  I see a lot of compassion all around.  A lot given and a lot received when needed most.  

       I don’t know about people quitting blogging because of the A to Z Challenge. I doubt that’s true, but if it is I think it is a statement on the bloggers who quit and says nothing about A to Z. Sometimes bloggers just leave their blogs and there's no reason to blame the A to Z Challenge. Since we rarely know the people behind the blogs, it’s hard to say why blog owners do what they do or even why they respond to the A to Z Challenge as they might.  But if bloggers do reach out there's usually someone in the community who is willing to take time to listen and to lend whatever assistance they can.  

 
     Is there a more compassionate way to run this Challenge?  I’d like to hear some answers to that question.  There are undoubtedly some better things we can do and hopefully we will keep figuring those out.  The Blogging from A to Z April Challenge will never be perfect but it will keep getting better.   One of the reasons that A to Z will keep getting better is because of all of the amazing members of the A to Z community.  And they are not just April friends, but we have become a year round community of helpful bloggers.

       My thanks to all of you!

Here's what Dr.Gulara Vincent has to say about A to Z:

"...not only I survived the challenge and built my blogging muscle, but I now keep up the good work and exercising that muscle daily. Thank you for this amazing experience. It changed my blogging practice. What's more, it changed me. I feel more present and reflective in my daily life."

I think that sums it up for a lot of us.

        Is there a more compassionate way to run the A to Z Challenge?    How has A to Z affected your approach to blogging and life in general?    When you came to a non-participating blog from the Linky list did you read their posts or leave a comment?  

     

       Check out the A to Z Challenge After Party and join in the conversation.  Leave a link to one of your A to Z posts while you're there.  

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Compassion in A to Z? (Part 1 of 2)

The Complaints

     While we still have A to Z on our minds, with an apology to those who have been trying to get away from thinking about the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, I wanted to address one of the more common complaints that has come up now and then regarding how some people see the Challenge and how it is handled by the A to Z Team.

         The issue I have in mind involves those who drop out of the April Challenge or those who cannot keep up.  This happens to a number of bloggers who enter the Challenge and when this has to be done they should not feel any shame, feelings of inadequacy or incompetence as a blogger, or anything else negative about themselves.   The intent of A to Z is not to humiliate or embarrass anyone, but merely to offer up a Challenge to bloggers who would like to test themselves in accepting this Challenge.

         My analogy is typically the running of a marathon.   Some people choose not to run in a marathon for reasons that should not fall under anyone's judgement.  You won't find me entering a marathon because for one thing I don't want to have a heart attack and for another I couldn't keep up even if my heart withstood the exertion.   Marathon running is not on my list of things I feel compelled to do and that's my business about which I feel no shame nor do I feel left out when marathon day comes to the Los Angeles area and it seems like most of the city is wrapped up in marathon activities.

         Same with A to Z--if you want to do it then go ahead and if you don't then don't and just don't make a big deal about any negatives of others doing it.  Compassion goes both ways.  No one should try to make you feel bad for not participating nor should you belittle the event and its participants if you choose not to be a part of it.

        However if you do say you're going to do the A to Z, you should make every effort to keep up as the Challenge calls for and to finish the event.   If you honestly can't then so be it, but to drop out and then try to disparage the Challenge is not right.  That's the same as trying to run a marathon and finding you can't keep going and then blaming the marathon for what you weren't able to do and then expressing your opinion that the marathon should go away because it makes some people feel bad.  If you can't do something then fine, but that doesn't mean others shouldn't do it and have to listen to negativity from others who don't like it.  Really now, the A to Z Challenge is not politics, but it's supposed to be fun.

       In fact, more than once I have heard some bloggers suggest that others have been quitting blogging because of the Challenge.  Some have suggested that bloggers have quit out of shame of not having been able to finish the Challenge, anger because the Challenge takes up all of April, or that A to Z has taken the fun out of blogging.   Are you kidding me?   I doubt that this is true, but if it is true for any bloggers then I think it is a statement on the bloggers who quit.  Their actions say nothing about A to Z.

       The concept of someone quitting blogging because some other bloggers like to participate in the A to Z Challenge is akin to me saying at Super Bowl time that because I don't like football and everyone seems to be wrapped up in the Super Bowl that it's taken away all enjoyment of life for me so now I'm going to crawl away into some darkened place because of my shame and humiliation and curl up and die.   No, it's not like that at all--I just do something else that I like to do while others watch the Super Bowl and talk about it endlessly before and afterwards.  Then later on life goes back to normal whatever normal life might mean.

Different Strokes or Do You Like Artichokes?

       What it all boils down to is that some people like some things and other people like other things and we should respect that.   You might blog about your dog, your job, your hobby, your ailments, or even your latest book and that's all well and fine.  If others are up to reading about your chosen topic that's okay while if others want to move on and read something else then that shouldn't be the end of anyone's world.  We should all be free to pursue our interests just so those interests don't actually interfere with anyone else's happiness.   And if you feel that someone else's interests are interfering with your own happiness then you might want to examine more closely to see how it is interfering, why you think it is interfering, and rationally assess if there is any actual interference or if you are perceiving things in an irrational manner.

        If a crowd is smiling and having fun because of some positive event then you too should be happy for them.  If you aren't feeling this and feeling somewhat alone then it's not because they have left you out, but you have rejected them and decided to alienate yourself from their positive atmosphere.   If this is what is happening then don't try to find what is bad about what others enjoy, but try to understand who you are and how your needs can be fulfilled without expecting others to make you happy.

         We are each in charge of our own happiness.

        In part two I will address the issue of compassion as it applies to the A to Z Team and participants.   And before anyone thinks that these posts are only A to Z Challenge related, let me reiterate what I've said on other occasions:  I see A to Z as a microcosmic activity that exemplifies life in general--how we approach A to Z and how we respond to it is reflected in our everyday behavior in work and personal life.   My hopes are that what I am saying in these posts will be seen as having a broader application than just in the A to Z Challenge.

       In general do you see the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge as being more of a positive or a negative thing?    Did you finish the 2015 Challenge or any past Challenge?    Did you ever start a Challenge (not necessarily A to Z) and have to drop out before it ended?   Either in finishing or quitting, how did you feel about about your performance in a Challenge and the outcome of what you did?

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impressive a to z bloggers and #BOTB Winner

         Before I go to naming the winner of my most recent Battle of the Bands showdown, I wanted to recognize a few of the A to Z participant blogs that particularly stood out for me.  As many of you might have noted in the A to Z Reflections posts, there are many of us who agreed that this April Challenge of 2015 was one of the best we've had so far.  Some of the content in the blogs of this Challenge was clever, thoughtful, fun, and in some cases rather amazing.

        I commend everyone who finished the Challenge.   I give acknowledgement to those who tried, but didn't quite make it.   And a special recognition to the following:

Rena at Doctor Fairy Godmother presented a complete A to Z Video series.  A daily video series meant not much writing on the blog, but her presentations were either very well improvised or scripted ahead of time.  Rena's delivery was engaging and had excellent content.  Rena has a good style.

A frequent commenter on my site is Michele from Angels Bark.   Like I am, Michele is a music fan and she put her love of music to work in her series  An A-Z Musical Tour of My Life.

Since I have a fascination with dreams I was very interested in the Dream series offered by Susan Scott at Garden of Eden.   She writes with depth and great intelligence.  I encourage you to check out her blog.

Andi-Roo at The World 4 Realz is a blogger whom I discovered a couple Challenges ago.  She's had some ups and downs recently and is still trying to make it to the end of the alphabet, but at least she's pushing onward and trying to get it done.  Maybe a few of you can stop by to cheer her on.

Visiting Maryann Holloway's If I Only Had a Time Machine is an education, but a fun one that is well worth one's time.  For the A to Z Challenge her theme was World War 2.  If you're a history buff and want your history delivered in an interesting way be sure to take a trip on Maryann's Time Machine.

One of the blogs that had me laughing out loud during April was The Ranting Monkey.  His A to Z posts are apparently not representative of what this blogger normally writes, but still now I'm curious as to what's going to be on the blog the rest of the year.

As one who loves food and eating out, I always enjoy a blog that talks about restaurants.  One of my favorite discoveries this year was The Chinese Quest, self described as "Five hungry Jewish guys on a quest to find the best Chinese restaurant on Long Island and NYC."   Mee Magnum is a clever blogger whose posts made me want to go back east and join them in their quest.  I encourage you to check out this very entertaining blog

      These are but a few of the terrific blogs I discovered this year and I could certainly go on and on and on.   If you haven't done so already, I encourage you to visit the links of those who joined in with their Reflection Posts to find many more great blog links.   And be sure to keep visiting The A to Z Challenge Blog for upcoming information about the journey ahead on the A to Z Road Trip where you can discover some of the blogs you missed during April.

      My recent Battle pitting versions of "Je Crois Entendre Encore" by David Gilmour against Alison Moyet is one that I've had waiting on hold for over a year.  In fact this is a pairing that came to my mind from the point when I first began presenting Battle of the Bands pairings.  Since the song is an aria from an opera it seemed like it might be tough for many listeners.  In fact I noticed that some of my usual voters were absent for this round of competition.  Were they put off by the operatic nature of my selection?

        As one voter Sheboyganboy Six said in his comment:

I know that if you featured ACTUAL opera arias in your BOTBs, probably a bunch of people would skip voting, but I would like the battle better every time!

        Perhaps Mr. Six is correct not only from the standpoint of using actual operatic artists, but even using opera as performed by popular artists.  For many people, myself included, opera is not an overwhelmingly favorite genre of music.  Opera is a musical style that requires some amount of patience as well as an appreciation that often calls for some education about the form along with adapting ones ears to what sometimes comes across as a somewhat alien means of musical expression. 

         Though I cannot cite any statistics, my guess is that a vast majority of people would say that they do not like opera. These numbers would probably be far higher than the numbers of those who would say they don't like classical music which would also be a percentage that would comprise the majority of people.  The talent of the operatic singer is typically respected by audiences, but the music is not the music of choice of most of us.

          Nevertheless there are certain pieces coming out of the realm of opera that are so exquisite that they transcend any aversion to the genre of opera to be able to be appreciated by most who hear the music.  I believe that "Je Crois Entendre Encore" is such a piece of music.  The melody performed by a pop artist extends beyond opera into an ethereal realm that one can accept as beautiful music for the modern listener.

The Contestants

           David Gilmour and Alison Moyet are both very capable artists who present this Bizet aria with equally high degrees of musical skill and professionalism.   For most of the voters it seemed to come down to some genuine quality of Gilmour's voice as opposed to some displeasing quality of Moyet's voice.  On the other hand, there were those voters who found Moyet's voice to be soothing, expressive, and more controlled.  In essence the voting was primarily influenced by a preference of vocal style with some sway factor coming from the instrumental backing.  

         For me this was a very tough decision that took me back and forth.   Gilmour is a sentimental favorite for me as his version of the song was the one to which I had first exposure as a pop interpretation.  I've watched his video repeatedly and I'm a long time fan of David Gilmour's music.  That an artist with Gilmour's pop music stature took this amazing piece of music and performed it with such credibility in concert is to me a wondrous thing.

          But then there is Moyet with her tremendous vocal control.  Unlike many voters, I enjoy the deep sound of her voice--"mellifluous" as one voter indicated.   In the Moyet version I particularly like the instrumentation.   I particularly like the marimba and glockenspiel so uniquely added to the arrangement.  The strings, almost identically arranged as the voices in the Gilmour version, add a truly beautiful haunting accompaniment to Moyet's vocal.

         As I have said, this is a difficult decision for me.  I'm tempted to just throw up my hands and declare my vote a tie as I adore both versions.  However if I must choose then I'm going to go with my greater sense of the musical purist and go with Alison Moyet.  This helps her advance in the race, but still not enough for the win.  But this was a close race indeed.

Final Tally

David Gilmour           14 votes

Alison Moyet             12 votes

A New Battle Coming Soon!

         Next Friday May 15th I will have a Battle of the Bands pairing that led me to some curious findings.  My next Battle will be a piece from the film that I will be presenting as my entry in the Blood, Boobs, and Carnage Blogfest hosted by Alex J Cavanaugh and Heather Gardner on Monday May 18th.  I hope you find this next Battle to be interesting.

        Have you visited any of the blogs that I highlighted from A to Z?   Have you ever watched a complete opera?    Would you be likely to refrain from voting if I presented two versions of a musical piece in a genre with which you were unfamiliar or did not particularly like?

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