Active participant vs. observer

Do you feel you are more an active participant in life, or just an observer?

I have always felt more like an observer... a stranger in a strange land. A lot of the enjoyment I get out of life comes from observing things (people, situations, etc.)

 

Im more an observer now, pisses me off cause I was more of a leader at one time.

 

I try to walk the line, but lately I'm struggling with relevancy when it comes to participation .

 

A bit of both, but I can only observe for so long before I have to get in on the action.

You can't hoard fun, it has no shelf life. -HST

 

I regard myself as an active participant in life but I also can clearly identify myself with being an observer.

 

I participate by observing.

 

It depends on whether I'm being a wave or a particle.

 

Depends on the day. More of a participant in the last year or so.

 

I want to respond and say that I am an observer, but then I would be actively participating in this thread.... what to do?

 

The internet doesn't count.

 

Both....sometimes very active...other times, very quiet and observant depending on my confidence and comfort levels that day.

 

I grok.

 

Good one.

 

Both. Depends on who I'm around. I'm an active participant in my own life but sometimes I choose to just observe others. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at minding my own business.

 

Mostly an observer, I should be more of an active participant.

 

I really need a balance between the two. I think I was naturally very observant during the part of my life that influenced me the most...but I feel that is only because at some point in my youth I felt like no one wanted me to do anything and if you have parents, guardians, etc. who won't support you, it's hard to feel like you have an impact on your life...so you just take things as they are and try to observe the way the world works...or you can be a rebel...which I wasn't into because I wanted and needed approval.

As soon as I became an adult I became a rebel, but I still craved approval. I went through a phase where all I wanted was to be a misfit, to do things I never would have done before...it was very liberating...but I realized I was still doing that stuff because I wanted approval.

I finally realized I could create a certain type of direction in my life and really became very controlling about my life. I think this is kinda important when you're pregnant, directly after having kids...people will be so fucking cruel to mother's/parents about their expertise on how you should take care of yourself. You have to have some clear boundaries sometimes. It was a good time of my life...so I sometimes default to that...but another good time in my life was right after that time when I went on a very spiritual quest and really just observed and followed the way that life lead me.

So basically, I've had a lot of extremes. In order to get what I want out of life, I have to be very creative, very active about the things that are important for me to "achieve" and observant about the things I want to "maintain". Like observant with my kids, the natural world (which I want to just keep a close connection to), my friends/family. Active about my career, my health, my creativity, etc.

 

participant, shit starter

 

I come from the Ancient Order of Observers... Perhaps you've never heard of us.

 

I agree, the internet totally doesn't count.