To all my dear friends at Wikipedia:
I joined Wikipedia in November 2005. When I joined, I had no idea how uplifting it would be to make so many wonderful friends: my goal was purely academic. However, as I got more involved, Wikipedia became more of a social life for me. Whenever I wasn’t practicing, you could almost always find me on Wikipedia…even during meals! I got involved in chasing vandalism…when I discovered IRC, I thought it was the best, because you could chitchat while reverting vandalism.
In Romans 16:19, the Bible says, “…I would have you…simple concerning evil.” I am not leaving Wikipedia…but I will be drastically reducing my work here. I have to ask myself: What eternal benefit does reverting vandalism to Wikipedia have? If it is causing me to sin (by not keeping me not simple to that which is evil), then it does me eternal detriment, not eternal good. Thus, I will not be participating in IRC or CDVF. Unfortunately, my goal cannot be adminship anymore, either, since good administrators revert vandalism.
I would like to think that through this I can keep your acquaintanceship. I can’t lie and say that I don’t want to ever hear from you again. But there are two things that really clinch it for me. The first one is my life motto: “No Compromises”. Second is my life goal: solo violinist in Italy.
No Compromises, in short, means that in my life, I want Christ glorified in everything I do. If I do something which violates my conscience, I am making a compromise, and not glorifying God who gave me my conscience. Second, my goal is to be a violinist in Italy when I’m older. Wikipedia has taken so much of my concentration and time ever since I joined, that it is detracting from this goal.
So please meet your typo queen! I realize that I can’t back out completely from Wikipedia because I use it constantly for school. So now my focus will be fixing typos and wikifying articles that need help as I come across them through my studies. My aim will be not to “hang out” on Wikipedia when I have free time, but instead, to use it as the resource it was originally designed to be used for: an encyclopedia anyone can edit.
Thank you for understanding, and for your prayers. This has taken courage, and I believe is another step toward living the life Christ wants me to live…a life of glorification to him, through no compromises.