Remembering UUs-L

I just heard from Lance Brown that the UUs-L mailing list is shutting down. It brought back a lot of memories.

There was a time in the early 1990s when UUs-L was absolutely the place to be. In the days before blogs and social media, it was the best way in the world to stay connected with thoughtful UUs around the country, plus a few overseas.

Like a lot of people, I posted something to UUs-L several times a week, sometimes starting a discussion, sometimes commenting on what other people said. The instant feedback taught me a lot about writing; if I said something clumsily, people would misunderstand me and we'd be off on some ridiculous argument that would never have happened if I'd just been clearer. That daily back-and-forth taught me how to write not just to make sense to myself, but to make sense to other people.

Sometimes I'd brood over somebody else's post, sit down to flame them, and then realize they hadn't really said what I'd been brooding over. So I learned to read better and listen better.

The reason I write for UU World today is that Chris Walton and I met on UUs-L. Otherwise the idea would never have occurred to me.

So thanks to everybody who was involved in UUs-L over the years, especially Lance, who kept it going. Times change, technologies evolve, and eventually we all move on one way or another. But that doesn't undo the significance of what we all did together.