Why be out in the world?

There is a saying; "Be a light unto the world".  I personally hold this to be true.  We cannot effect positive change in this world with negativity.  It really never works.

Having said that, when you are an educator or writer, you are--by default--a public figure of sorts.  As private as you may like your life to be, there is a portion of you that must be accessible to the public.  If that's not the case, then why publish?  Why take what you know and train others with it if you're not willing to discuss these things with the public you aimed your message at in the first place?

When you were in school, who were the teachers that bothered you the most?  Me?  It was the grumpy ones; the ones that lost the love of teaching.  The ones that were just dragging along until tenure touched them, and their retirement was insured.  I would actually try and engage them, but invariably it would be the same thing; it was like trying to get someone who didn't really like you to be your friend.  In the end, the only one who was hurt was me.

All this above is aimed at those people today who write books, or accept positions of leadership or mentorship, and are then pissed off when people want to engage them.  Admittedly, there are always those who try and take too much, or are just there to stir people up for a reaction, but I really do believe that they're the exception and not the rule.  But honestly, if you are that put off by communicating with people, maybe you shouldn't, no matter how erudite you are, and let someone who feels the message in their hearts do the work you so obviously loath...