Have you ever re-read an old post and found yourself surprised by what you had written?

I definitely do. I must have been having a moment of genius or absolute lucidity at that point. Some of course I just cringe.

My thoughts exactly, though my reaction usually translates to:

”I wrote that?!”

All the time.

In my case I am not always sure that I actually wrote it.

@zensky Weird isn’t it.
Check the name to make sure it’s you.

And why does your avatar inspire such uncompromising respect?

Perhaps because Mr. Stewart is both a great man and actor – and that is a striking shot of him in uniform. Ah, and the uniform. And the communicator.

Maybe it is a sort of consciousness level thing. As I do feel more lucid at certain times, more so than others, Perhaps at times we draw from knowledge deep in our brains we had forgotten about, ready to be pulled out at that particular moment. Or perhaps we are growing more stupid as we get older?

I agree. I know there are times when I feel “inspired”; the words seem to flow. Other times responses seem forced. Like I’m struggling to find something relevant to say.

Nope. I have never regretted having written something in older posts. I am not the impulsive type, so here and in real life I think stuff carefully before I say it or write it. I am fairly consistent in my views. What I find I’d change in some of my older posts is the way I have worded things and the grammar—essentially the form not the content or the intention. Frequently when I reread those, I wish I had explained myself better or elaborated more.

@Yeahright Not always good to post the first thing that comes to mind, huh?

Well, the intent is always the same I think. But the wording and how we write stuff is of the essence here since we lack the tone and the body language we have in real life that help to transmit out thoughts in the way we really mean to. We don’t want our ideas to be taken in the wrong way. Some people are extremely sensitive and easily feel attacked. So, yes, I try to be extra careful but still never refrain myself from voicing my opinion.

Yes – I was surprised by the conviction with which I stated I didn’t believe my spouse would ever knowingly hurt me.

Occasionally.

Less so on here on Fluther since most of my major changes in worldview happened before I started coming here, but this has happened to me big time. My discussion site prior to Fluther was called AiROW, used it ages 13–16 I think. It shut down at that time. But it made a brief reappearance last year. I got to go look at all my old posts. I was so excited for the nostalgia, then…

SHIT I was an awful person! I was so judgmental! Whaaaaaat is this!

So glad I grew up.

I think, “I wrote that?” and I’m either pleased or dismayed. I feel the same reading old college papers I wrote just before throwing them out. (finally!)

Definitely

Oh definitely. I’m not in the same place, mentally or emotionally, as I was when I first signed on to Fluther. Many things have changed, so some of my answers are ehm… a tad embarrassing. At the same time, that was where I was at that moment, making it a nice reminder of how I’ve changed.

I never read anything I wrote more than a few days previously. Not really interested. Most everything I write here is just a toss off, written with not much thought. Honestly, I have no idea why anyone ever bothers to read anything I write. The only reason I write is to see what I think.

@wundayatta I find this hard to believe written with not much thought. I mean, the length of your posts suggests otherwise, you certainly elaborate on topics—I’d say more than the average jelly. I do take the time to read what you write. I am not good at picking up on certain tones, so you might be joking for all I know. In any case, you got me all confused.

Of course. I can’t believe I gave a shit sometimes.

@Yeahright

In any case, you got me all confused.

Therein lies the true purpose of Flooder.

Oh, definitely. I was 13 when I joined the site and I’m 17 now, so looking back at some of my answers I’m just appalled. I was looking at an old thread not too long ago (unfortunately, I can’t remember which one) and literally did not understand what I had written at all. Not just that I couldn’t believe I wrote it (I couldn’t) but that I didn’t even understand what I had said! It was hilarious, but I was also weirdly embarrassed, though the thread was years old and I’m sure no one else remembers it.

No not really. I was an only child and I have a very active imagination and I’ve had to use it to entertain me my whole life and it’s never stopped.

Interesting responses indeed. I’m wondering, @mangeons, how jellies responded to what you wrote at that time. What is you impression now to the reception you received then?

Nothing quite so humbling as revisiting those times to knew you were absolutely right…to discover you were absolutely wrong.

@Yeahright I type pretty fast.

@wundayatta Gee, thanks for the elaborate answer. How did I miss that? Silly me. It’s all crystal clear now.

@SABOTEUR I actually replied to that thread years later, saying that I didn’t understand my answer I think I was trying to make a joke at the time that didn’t make sense, or something like that and someone else who had been following it said they had no idea what it meant either! I don’t really know how people perceived the answer back then, I’d go back and look if only I could remember which thread it was! I’m sure people take me much more seriously now, though many of the people who were around then are long gone these days.

@Yeahright Seriously, I type fast and so can put a lot of words up there without much thought. I mean, I make Iwrotethiswithoutmuchaforethought look like a poser. Or maybe my thoughts make enough sense that it doesn’t take much thinking for some to be willing to read them. But I really don’t put much thought into what I write. It’s just all automatic. I think, I transcribe, I post.

I usually think about it first, but I can’t type worth schlitz.
Even harder on an Ipod Touch.

Then I obsess over sentence structure or maybe I could have phrased something differently or I used the wrong word or misspelled something.

I often find myself editing and re-editing until my time runs out.

Or I get so disgusted with myself that I don’t post at all.

As a writer, I’ve found that ANYTHING I’ve written, no matter how perfectly worded and punctuated I thought it was, can use editing. It’s particularly true of my emails and posts, which I usually write faster than any other form of prose.

@SABOTEUR High five I’m with you in this. The exact same thing happens to me. I couldn’t have said it better.

@Yeahright Of course they have to announce obsessive editing to the entire Fluther community. I cringe every time my name pops up.

Yeah perfecto fish is quite revealing.

So THAT’s what the Perfecto-Fish Award is! That’s the award I’ve gotten almost 10 times that I don’t know how on earth I got. Am I really that critical?

Really, people. Be like me. Never edit at all. That’s how you get lots of lurve.

@dxs A bit of a perfectionist when it comes to posting, are ye? Shame!

@SABOTEUR look who’s talking—you have 60 of them!

@dxs SHHHHHH! We mustn’t let anyone know!

It’s funny, especially when I notice typos. But I have had similar experiences in real life when I’ve come across some things like journal entries or other snippets in old notebooks.