Writing for me is often a form of both therapy and introspection. It allows me to get ideas out of my head, where things are often cluttered, and into a form that sometimes makes a little more sense. If nothing else, that gives me a small sense of accomplishment, which seems to be a rarity in my very chaotic life right now.
More importantly, writing this blog will give me an outlet to try to figure out all of the many complex issues that face us all both in the political world as well as in the personal philosophy realm. I've long relied upon social media as a venue for floating ideas and utilizing the interaction with others to either validate those ideas or to allow others to expose me to new ideas or facts (often leading to my adjusting or even changing my own positions, as we all should). Through this, I've been able to learn so much from so many people.
But most forms of social media have their limits. First, it's hard to control the conversations and keep them from spiraling into a pointless exercise. Second, it's often kind of awkward trying to have conversations of that kind in a place where many/most others aren't interested. The world of online social etiquette is still evolving, but it does seem a bit clunky when people try to start a conversation on places like Facebook that annoy or are off-putting to most people who have to see it.
So I'm creating this -- my refuge. It will be a place where I can set the rules to keep the conversations relevant and constructive, and only those who want to see it will see it.
My ideal scenario would be for this blog to receive a lot of comments from a lot of different people who are all sincerely interested in exploring the topics I bring up (or bring up their own topics). Intellectually honest arguments of any kind, done in good faith, will be welcomed and greatly appreciated, no matter how much you agree or disagree with anything I say. After all, nobody ever learns anything if they only hear feedback from people who agree with everything they say.
Subsequent posts will give more color about how this blog will work and how I will try to make it as constructive and insightful for everyone who reads or posts to it. Thanks for reading, and I hope you find some value in this, and that you decide to post your own ideas and thoughts in the comments of many of these posts!
Brad! From the first draft of your book, I've always enjoyed the flow from your head to the screen. Especially since the majority of our convos of years ago took place downtown Bozo & were usually muddled meanderings (to steal one from Bob Ross). I admire your abillity to stand back & look at an issue from afar, thus actually seeing the forest in spite of the trees. I do, however, believe that one can spend too much time on the fence, and that it's OK to take a firm stand from one side or the other. To quote Mr. Mellencamp, 'If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything'. I realize quoting him here may be as smart as relying on Bruce Springstien for your political views, but truly believe there is value in an unwavering stand in your beliefs. Your abillity to 'grey my black & white' can be madening at times, but I will admit you've made me sit back & think a bit over the last few years of my journey into social media. I guess alot of this is based off of the influence of my grandparents who showed the most respect for those who stood unwavering despite outside influence. That, and possibly too many Louis L'Amour books...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Keon, for: 1) Being the first commenter! 2) Providing your perspective -- which is so important for me to get anything out of this project; and 3) for challenging me. You're making me think outside of my comfort zone, and that's a great thing.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is important to stand for things, and as I post more, I'm sure you'll see examples of me taking a firm stand on many different issues. But at the same time, there really aren't many things out there that I see as black and white issues. They are simply too complex. So part of my goal with this blog is to force myself to really dive into the complexities of each issues, with as much objectivity as possible, to make sure I'm thinking through each issue as completely and appropriately as possible.
That said, there are black and white issues for me -- especially when we aren't talking about a policy issue but rather one of ethics. That's where the real "right or wrong" aspect of things comes into play for me.
Rather than listing them all out, maybe it's easiest to just stick to a simple, but profound theme that many of us share -- "Do unto others...." That bit of philosophy is what I aspire to, and that's what drives many/most/all of my opinions. It's an aspirational goal, for sure, as I certainly don't always live my life in accordance with that bit of philosophy (even though I'd like to be able to say I do), but it's a great start.
So if we are looking for black/white and unwavering beliefs, that's where I'd say one could start with me.
Thanks so much for the thought-provoking comments ... I'm sure they will be pulled into some of my future posts, especially since I just write stream of conciousness for the most part on here (which explains why it's not the most organized writing), and now that you've put those questions and ideas into my head, I'll be needing to work them out and examining them in deeper depth.
Hi Brad, looking forward the chance to hash over things other than cows, trucks, & kids. Kind of in a hurry at the moment (just got done working cows, now headed to Royce's Christmas program...), but wondering if there's any way to be notified when you post comments or replies, or if I just need to keep tuning in now & again. Good day, sir!
ReplyDeleteSounds good, Keon. I look forward to the conversations. I think you can click on the "subscribe by email" link at the bottom on each post, and that should give you notification that something new has been posted. At least, I see a link on my end ... I assume that shows up for everyone? And thanks again for your thoughts!
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