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Public Notice Regarding Expectations of Engagement

for the "Public Announcement" challenge

By Imola TóthPublished about 24 hours ago 1 min read
Oatly ad. Source: Pinterest

PUBLIC NOTICE REGARDING EXPECTATIONS OF ENGAGEMENT

Please be advised that participation

does not equal mutual agreement.

Following does not imply obligation.

Reading is not reciprocal by default.

This space does not operate

as an exchange market.

Attention is not a currency

redeemable on demand.

Responses may be delayed,

may arrive out of sequence

or may not arrive at all.

No explanation is required.

Silence should not be interpreted

as disregard, refusal,

or breach of trust.

Engagement is offered voluntarily

and sustained at individual level.

Users may be temporarily unavailable

due to limited service,

extended hours of labor,

or the physical demands of living

beyond illuminated screens.

Service interruptions may occur

due to weather, terrain,

exhaustion of power supplies.

Please note:

time spent elsewhere

is not evidence of indifference.

Some contributors operate machinery,

lift heavy weight, walk for hours,

return home with depleted reserves

not reflected in activity logs.

Demanding immediate,

reciprocated attention

may result in disappointment.

Prolonged accounting is allocated

in service of sustainable creation.is allocated

in service of sustainable creation.is allocated

in service of sustainable creation.of

unreturned favors

can erode genuine interest.

Time spent elsewhere

is allocated

in service of sustainable creation.

Creation precedes visibility.

Compensation, if any,

should be considered subsidiary.

Thank you for your understanding.

— The Management

The Sustainable Creativity Board

fact or fictionFor Fun

About the Creator

Imola Tóth

I write poetry and fiction on the edge of the map when I'm not working in the forest.

Medium | Instagram

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Comments (8)

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  • Sandy Gillmanabout 4 hours ago

    So many unspoken expectations finally put into words!

  • Dharrsheena Raja Segarranabout 12 hours ago

    Sometimes I feel obligated to read and it gets very overwhelming. But I'm slowly learning to overcome that. Loved your take on this challenge!

  • Tiffany Gordonabout 13 hours ago

    💜💙🩷💛🩵

  • John R. Godwinabout 18 hours ago

    What an interesting take on the challenge. I think your position should be the foundation on which we all operate on Vocal. As someone who is trying desperately to get to a point in my life when I can write full time, rather than work full time, I often find myself wanting to read more of the works of others, but unable to do so. Your approach relieves us of a duty to read. It's necessary. I do think, though, that we should feel obliged to read. An obligation is softer, and asks that we voluntarily read to support each other. The luchre, filthy or no, is secondary to the feeling of support that we feel when other writers acknowledge something we've built. Congratulations on a thought-provoking piece. As always with your work, I've enjoyed reading it

  • Sid Aaron Hirjiabout 19 hours ago

    nice take on this-yes sometimes people can't read your tuff-life happens

  • Rick Henry Christopher about 19 hours ago

    Very good take on the challenge, Imola. This is an original, thoughtful, and unique piece

  • Mark Grahamabout 20 hours ago

    Thanks for all the reminders in this piece. Good job, Imola.

  • Michelle Liew Tsui-Linabout 21 hours ago

    I think many people are in two minds about this - there should be a fair exchange, borne of the williness of both parties. Thoughtful, and well expressed as usual, Imola.

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