Some community events inherently incorporate "atmosphere catalysis" elements, with participants jumping on the bandwagon with enthusiasm
I wonder if you attend physical events—not lectures by famous authors or celebrities, but gatherings focused on a particular theme or organized among people with similar backgrounds? Yet most of the time, after attending such events, the sense of fulfillment only lasts about a day. Looking back, you realize these activities aren't really delivering both quality and value.
After leaving my previous job, I had much more free time. Over a span of about 5 weeks, I attended 8 events—roughly one every 4.3 days.
These events ranged from large-scale gatherings of 200+ people to intimate sharing sessions with fewer than 20 participants. Because of my background as a journalist, I encounter at least 10 different professions daily, so I have a relatively strong sensitivity and observation skills about the outside world. Through these activities, I can easily identify who truly has substance and whether an event has quality and value. Let me share my thoughts.
Some people might assume that speakers are invited because they're the best storytellers or particularly exceptional people. But when you attend certain events, you discover that the speaker accomplished something ordinary people can't do, which makes you admire them. However, after deeper understanding, you realize they may not be great at live presentations, resulting in vague content where you can't fill even a full page of notes—or they themselves are actually quite hollow. And then the ticket price is particularly high. (I hope my own talks don't give people this impression, but please let me know if they do.)
Of course, market mechanisms determine ticket prices. But honestly, some activities are really just about the "atmosphere." Some people come hoping to meet other impressive people—and yes, there's a chance of that. But I believe that when participants aren't fully open, and when the event's attendees lack a cohesive background, the people you actually meet are just... that. Everyone is a crowd wanting to meet people different from themselves, but there's a lack of viewpoint exchange and sparks of friction. Attending an activity actually causes internal depletion within yourself—sharing ideas without receiving equivalent returns.
If participants in offline events don't share the same purpose, it's easy to fall into a performance platform for those good at showing off
"Knowledge exchange is: you share one, I share one, and in the end we both leave with two." But often we get lost in the atmosphere of exchange, feeling like if you work hard to immerse yourself in something unfamiliar, you absorb so much knowledge. At first, you feel refreshed, happy, and fulfilled meeting many new people. But after things settle, you realize some people may just treat communities and socializing as their own tools for showing off and their "performance platform." (I genuinely resent that.)
Of course, I don't mean to judge whether a person is good or bad. I want to learn to accept groups of people I didn't fully understand or feel close to before. But after truly getting closer, my heart fills with resentment, and I even question myself: "Why?" Why do I distrust this type of person? Naturally, I can't find the answer myself, so I can only try to dilute the inexplicable emotions in my heart, then ask myself "Why?" again to clarify whether such emotions are unhealthy.
"Social connections require equal standing." We should all figure out why we're attending events and sharing. Communities can help us make like-minded friends, but there are prerequisites. If it's only wasting time and money, then spend that time on your own creative work and thinking, or muster the courage to invite the people you truly want to know, those worthy mentors—that has much more value. Whether you can actually connect with them depends on how much capability you have.
