tl;dr is a txt-speak abbreviation that means: “too long; didn’t read.” It’s what you write in response to a facebook post or blog post or email that wasn’t worth your time to consume.
During my recent visit in the US, I had a conversation with a person very close to me whom I shall not name, who essentially said this was why my blog was pointless and useless as a means of keeping those close to me up-to-date about what was going on in my life. My posts are either utterly impersonal, or they end up in the “tl;dr” category.
I suppose so. To be utterly frank, I didn’t really have a great visit back to the US, this time around. There were highlights, seeing people I care about. But … I got a lot of what I can only say is dismissive or frustrated feedback over my choice to transform what was intended to be an “adventure” into a lifestyle choice. Sigh.
Am I making a mistake, staying in Korea? If I were a good Confucian (which is not, by the way, my ambition – I’m just saying), I would return to the US, to be closer and more accessible to my family, so that I could “do right” by them. Instead, I camp out half-a-planet away, doing my own thing. Yes, it’s personally fulfilling. Yes, it’s what I want to do. But under a good Confucian, filial-duty ethic, it’s wrong.
Wow, that got deep fast. Ooops. I just meant to write about the tl;dr thing. And maybe I did: you can now respond, dear reader, with a succinct tl;dr. kthx bye.
Heh, and I thought you’d be writing about omitting “Atlas Shrugged” from your library. This was a more interesting post. You have my sympathy about family and friends’ reaction to living your one and only life as you see fit. And I think there might be an argument made for communication and transportation technology decreasing the obligation to be geographically closer to family to fulfill one’s filial duty. Other philosophers would see more value in living an authentic life than staying in the same neighborhood, especially in our “global village.” Write on, Jared. Oh, btw, I think even in abbreviation, telling someone that one can’t be bothered reading a communication is more of an offense than moving away.
Hey, Jared!
Your posts are never “tl;dr” for me! I agree wholeheartedly with BK, above, and feel that anyone who truly loves you wants you to be true to your self. We strive to find the people or environments that bring out our best, or make us feel most authentic– in doing so, we are able to give the best possible version of our self to the world: to our students, family, friends — you name it. So, “to thine own self be true,” and fie on anyone who doesn’t like it!