I thought about making some type of announcement or decree, but I figured that it would be noticed in due time. It was best for me to let it have more of a silent departure, if you will. The notice ran for about 3 months, so those who would have benefited from it, and us from them, have probably mostly been realized.
As for what lies on the other side of the coin of totse2, the side that is not darkened only by the shadow of what once was, but by the scorch of what can never be again, I do not know. If one were to turn it over, we would not see the face of what we trust or the relic of what we came to know, but rather a ghost of what could have been and a projection of what we remember it becoming.
I exchanged a couple PM's on the topic with a particular forumite here, whom may reveal his or her self if he or he so chooses. Though it may not directly relate to the topic at hand here, I thought I would mention my final thoughts before cutting off life support:
"Hey man, how's it going. I've been considering what you said, but I have decided that I have closed that chapter in my life. It was a great run, but totse2 has changed a bit from what it once was. I really think it is best to continue with how things are now, and I think the time is right to fully close up shop.
I know you said it felt great to log back in, and I share those feelings with you, but totse2 is only an idea. Totse is an idea. The sanctuary is an idea. The idea and philosophy has been embedded in all of us, in our way of thinking, and has influenced all of our behavior and perception of life and what it had to offer. That being said, no matter what website we're on or what we call home, we will always be totseans. That is the one thing that has brought us together. As much as some people say totse is dead, I believe that it will always be alive within us. Even if the giant plug of the internet were pulled, people would still be experiencing totse by interacting with us. This is because of one common drive. We are totse."
To come full circle, I think we don't need to worry as much about what we want to be, and just be. Sure, it's good to an objective, or mission statement of sorts. But we have that. It is to continue on where we left off. And that is in the perpetuation of the ideas of free thinking, untamed ideas, and open discussions. That's at least what goes on in my head about this place.
But I do get where you're coming from. I used to have encounters in life that made me think, "Man, I should post that on [insert website here]." It wasn't necessarily because I thought it was stimulate a ton of page views or responses, but because I knew the community would get it. It would get me.
Has that sense of community been displaced? Maybe. Is it gone and lost forever? No. All we have to do is be. Be what we are, and forget about how we want to be perceived. The rest will come, but not until we can define ourselves and remember our own identities.
If you can't be yourself here, amongst the confidence and shroud of anonymity, the inclusion of community, and the freedom from societal constraints, then where can you be yourself? Do you remember who you are? Come to The Sanctuary. We'll help you find yourself. Then we'll let you be who you are.
