How distressing Content Theft can be

It is with a sense of both wonder, fear, and repulsion that I wandered through post after post that I had written about my life and my thoughts. I couldn't help but say, "Cool!!", a few times - I'm ashamed to admit. It turns out I have had a lot more readers than I thought I did! Many, many more.

But then, it isn't my life is it? I'd tell myself as I would sometimes see certain key details altered. My wife was now my "girlfriend", or sometimes a deceased "first wife" (the real me has only been married this once.) My locale was shifted out of Ottawa, and reset in a faraway place I have yet to go. And my story was intermixed with other stories that are not mine, as well as pictures of faraway people that my tales do not describe. I felt like a giant amoeba had vacuumed me up, subsuming parts of my personality, just like deer meat often tastes like Juniper berries.

I've always been generous with what I have. I post my music on music sites, and don't restrict downloads or charge for them. I Creative Commons license almost all of it. I didn't think I even had to license the content of Leave the Light On - since nobody reads it, who would steal it?

What floored me the most about this site which took and re-fashioned my words is that sometimes "I" would be challenged on some of "my" views, particularly in "my" theological posts. And then "I" would jump in with a response and clarification!! It is like running into my own pod person, and watching as my pod person engages other people on my behalf, sometimes getting it right, sometimes right.... and all the while, there I am silently screaming, "But this isn't me!!" This alternate me in one comment even described my guitar style at the music store!

(By the way, I am actually an expert guitar player, other me... and you probably got that one wrong.)