Basic Beginnermind

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My username is a reference to the concept of beginner's mind. I find using this handle a good, constant reminder to let go of my preconceived notions.

A new Wikipedian as of March 12, 2006. Past wiki experience, a while back, at Sensei's Library, a Wiki concerning the game of Go, where my contributions tended to be helping with organization and arbitration more than anything. I enjoyed wiki more than Go, as it turns out. I hope to make some contributions on the level of simplification and/or clarification of language as I get to know what's expected on Wikipedia, perhaps as well as contributing in my specific areas of interest.

Areas of Interest, Credentials, Likely Areas Of Contribution

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To let people know, I'm not an authority on much of anything. I do enjoy the English langauge, and often keep a copy of Strunk and White with me. I enjoy the practice of framing language to make it convey the meaning intended by the author to the audience, whether I was the original author or not. I often fall into the roll of an arbiter in group projects, so if you found your way here I might be trying to arbitrate between you and someone else to reach a consensus; I've certainly fallen into this role in wiki and other online projects before. I believe very much in consensus building, and resist the polarization (see also polarization (politics)) of issues.

As for specific areas of contribution, I enjoy the armchair study of many subjects, including history, philosophy, sociology, comparative religion and mythology. I have a deep personal interest in Buddhism, especially Zen Buddhism.

Nice to meet you!