Over the last year I allowed for insecurities, which decayed into inaction, to steal me from the moment. I have been inert, lost in the fog, without context.

unique? useful? why?

make content for narcissus

eyes split water line

One idea however has seen me through the fog and ultimately to the foundation of Shovel Harder and this it’s maiden post:

That we live in a world where a trend of increasingly complex, meaningful, and pervasive communication is interconnecting all of our thoughts at an exponential rate.

For me the watermark event comes with the printing press and the subsequent large scale duplication and distribution of text.  A perspective I gained after reading GutenBerg the Geek, an e-book single written by Jeff Jarvis of BuzzMachine.com. Today we continue to share ideas as data is generated on an ever more massive scale to be manipulated by diversified and increasingly imaginative engines.

Thanks to the continued duplication and distribution of information I have been exposed to the writings of Leo Babauta @ Zen Habits who has held my head high,  Mr. Money Mustache who has shown me the power of my own conviction, The Art of Manliness (better title = Art of Awesome?) with his exposè of a modern mental tool kit, Ryan Long @ Stationary Waves constantly challenging my assumptions and endurance, and Brendan @ Semi-Rad with his permanent clarion call to nature. These are but a few from  torrent of bloggers whose raw thoughts have snaked their way into my world view and instilled in me a profoundly plural perspective.

It is from this fortified position that I launch Shovel Harder. I think that if we stand together and experiment with the unrestrained thoughts of others, we can become something more than one.

Unrestrained is key. It is for this reason that this Shovel Harder is anonymous. (No not the hacktivist group(s). Though in true homage to the Anonymous namesake… what if everything posted on the internet as Anonymous was from one person named Anonymous?)  Any names on Shovel Harder might be made up! A post’s anonymity, or public ownership, depends on the preference of the poster. This is done to conserve the candid nature of Shovel Harder’s content, to protect contributors from bigotry, and to create a forum that emphasizes the importance of individuality over any institution. Hopefully this attribute of Shovel Harder creates useful and honest contributions.

Reading blogs can be mindless.  Attention can jump from post to post linked together only by the most intangible google search, not unlike a flush skinned teen wandering Reddit. Or… lists like My 30 Best Travel Tips After 4 Years Wandering the World can trigger a profound urge to restructure one’s life immediately and at any cost.  Whatever your experience with Shovel Harder know that our mission is to unite humans, to transcend exclusion, and to think out loud together.