Henry,
Sounds like you're wanting KivaFriends to cast out, more and more, beyond Kiva and Kiva-related topics.
I, on the other hand, prefer it when KivaFriends "contain themselves" and
keep most of the conversations connected SOMEHOW to Kiva
and Kiva-related issues.
It may be that
we're not all that far apart in that with even an iota of imagination, it seems possible to find some connection somehow between
The Great World That Is Kiva and nearly everything else.
And even when no matter how we try to "stretch" things, sometimes, we're unable to find a connection that bridges Kiva with whatever topic we want to play with, I don't see any reason at all why we still can't have it both ways here.
I don't think there's hardly anybody here who hasn't "hijacked" a thread or two or three
(hundred).
We're not robots-- one association brings up another -- and it's FUN.
If I had my way, (which I don't need to have)
(and I speak only for myself and for whatever Unusual Ones there are out there, like me, who might feel the same way),
When Kiva Friends hijack, we'd hijack, say, for maybe 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 posts,
(when we just can't control ourselves and have to say something right here right now,
we just have to),
and then someone would try to bring things back "On-Topic" on that thread,
alerting all Birdwalkers and wannabee Birdwalkers to a detour they were taking back to a thread like the ANYTHING GOES thread
for more conversation about the "whatevers."
What I'm saying is that I think there's room here for both the Henrys and the Jills of the world.... and for all those in between.
I'm thinking that for whatever differences there may be among us, there are a number of things we all (or nearly all) have in common.
Anybody can add to or subtract from these if you like,
but here are some commonalities I see that come immediately to mind.:
-- WE BELIEVE IN KIVA
-- WE LOVE THE IDEA OF/CAME HERE IN SEARCH OF/REMAIN HERE BECAUSE OF COMMUNITY
-- WE FEEL LUCKIER (ALMOST CERTAINLY, ARE LUCKIER) THAN MOST
AND FEEL A COROLLARY DESIRE AND PERHAPS RESPONSIBILITY OR OBLIGATION
TO SHARE SOME OF THAT GOOD FORTUNE THAT
WE'VE BEEN GRACED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE IN OUR LIVES
WITH OTHERS WHO,
THROUGH ABSOLUTELY NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN,
HAVE NOT BEEN SO GRACED
-- WE BELIEVE THAT THE WORLD EXTENDS OUT PAST OUR FAMILIES, PAST OUR BACKYARDS, PAST OUR LIMITED CIRCLES, PAST OUR COUNTRIES,
AND ARE GLAD THAT IT DOES
-- WE'RE A LITTLE STRANGE, AND A LITTLE BRIGHT,
AND A LOT HAPPY
TO HAVE FOUND SO MANY LIKE-MINDED (KIVA-) FRIENDS
WITHIN OUR FINGERTIPS' AND OUR HEARTS' REACH Hugsback.
