Definitions of Rebuilding

I have been contemplating this post since I went to lunch today and came back to find things had seemed to go topsy-turvy for the umpteenth time in the last several weeks. Mostly I was contemplating if I would put something up at all. If anyone has noticed, my style isn’t normally to speak for myself but to listen and process. But it’s past 3 AM, I have a day-job to go to in a few hours and yet, I’d rather be figuring out the schedule for my next web series shoot or brainstorming on which shows I want to cover next for Tubefilter (a word that I still hold pride in, though I realize it’s a precarious place to be).

And yet, those are not the reasons I’m awake right now. And that is a problem. I am being distracted from what I could be…nay, I SHOULD be doing, what makes me feel alive and as if I could potentially leave my mark on this planet. I am not doing those things because people I care about are angry, confused and hurt.

Today called for Rebuilding. Okay, let’s take a look at that for a second:

Re-build
–verb (used with object)

1. to repair, esp. to dismantle and reassemble with new parts: to rebuild an old car.

2. to replace, restrengthen, or reinforce: to rebuild an army.

3. to revise, reshape, or reorganize: to rebuild a shattered career.

Origin:
1605–15; re- + build

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Three definitions, all for the same word but with vastly different implications. To dismantle and start from scratch would mean to take immediate and definitive action. Tear the weeds out by the roots, refirtilize the soil, replant with tomatoes or cucumbers…something actually sustainable over the long term.

The second is a form of reaction. “I feel weak, in response, I’m going to add more power to my arsenal, add troops to my forces so that I can attack harder next time”. It’s the bully who has gotten the drop on him once, so next time he’s bringing brass knuckles and he’s taking teeth.

The third lies somewhere in the middle: there is still a foundation in place, there are aspects that don’t want to be let go of. Paris Hilton is still a Hilton, no matter how many sex tapes she makes. The question is whether she chooses to do “Two Nights in Paris” or not.

So where does that leave us? The problem is, I think each of us takes a different definition. While others aren’t even contemplating what the word means because they were perfectly happy with the road things were already going down and only see it as adding insult to injury. And while ALL points of view are valid, sadly, the ones that are immediately effected by it are few (5 people, to be exact). And some of us hold those people to the first definition: in order to rebuild, we need to tear the problem out by it’s roots…in this case, the roots affect the livelihoods of individuals. Some of us want to run to their aid, become soldiers in the quest to uphold the values of The Future of the Web.

I think maybe, just maybe, some people are hoping for the “somewhere in the middle”: they don’t want to see anyone dragged through the mud but acknowledge that something doesn’t feel right and needs some adjusting.

Are any of the definitions RIGHT? I can only speak for myself and my instincts always tell me to take an action. And generally, that serves me pretty okay. And in turn, I try to realize that others are working off their instincts as well…they have their own definitions, their own RIGHT. It’s not for me to take that away from them, but to see how and if my views can mold and adapt to theirs. I guess you’d call that compromise.

So I guess that is ultimately what I’m hoping for. How can we take all these various definitions, with their equal merits and worth and bring them to a point where they can coexist? Is it even possible? Definitely not in a day, or even a year, hell, we’ll probably never get it perfect. We may need to draft up a forth definition. But at least we are taking action, which is a huge testament to how much we care about what we are doing. And if we never lose sight of that, I think in the long-run, we will be okay.

But let’s not forget that we are all creative people and as such…we are naturally emotional. Which I take as an advantage, not a disadvantage. Most of us are storytellers…as such, we like to delve inside others experiences to understand them and bring them to life. This puts us in the unique position of seeing the other person’s points of views, to understand what definition they are operating under. We can use that as an opportunity, or we can use it to attack.

I think for starters, I’ll try to get some sleep now.