I guess I'd best start the year by explaining what it is I wish for this blog, in hopes that at least a few of you will be inclined to help out. Obviously, it is a journal of sorts, and in that sense intended to be therapeutic for me. And, God knows, I can use all the therapy I can get. I have always loved to write, but have never been one to write for myself. I'm not much impressed by my writing (even less by my spelling, grammar, etc.), but enjoy sharing my thoughts with others and having others occasionally tell me that they appreciate my efforts. So I guess a bit of affirmation is an underlying objective.
More critically, if a post has the effect of making even one reader think more deeply about a topic, or perhaps consider something for the first time or from a new perspective, I will feel truly blessed. I like to think, and I like hanging out with people who think, and who like to think. That's really what we're about here - thinking. As my formal education is so lacking, I fully expect to be exposed to new and formalized perspectives on myriad topics to which I've never been exposed nor thought to consider. Hopefully some of you will find your intellectual portfolio enhanced as well - likely not every week, but often enough that you'll keep coming back for more.
And I really would rather have my readers share an honest well articulated disagreement with some proffered stance or viewpoint, than to have my derriere kissed by a bunch of wonderful well-meaning folks who want to make me feel good about myself. The yin and yang of my Taoist philosophy dictates that there will be balance regardless of anyone's efforts, and my preference is that you, my dear readers, feel at least as free to wail away at my over-size ego as you are to cast praise. There is no progress in any aspect of life that is free of discomfort. I'm a big boy. I can take it...
In seeking both topic ideas and feedback from diverse viewpoints, I am adopting the same approach that insightful senior missionaries share with their students, namely that the best way to refine and strengthen your message is to share it with non-believers, understand and acknowledge their feedback and viewpoints, and defend or modify your position accordingly. Not that I have any strident messages I'm trying to sell here, or at least I hope stridency isn't seen as a hallmark, but I find that we learn very little when we limit our conversations to topics without nuance, with which everyone is comfortable, or to groups which all share our weltanschauung. I would go one step further and argue that topics we are cautioned against discussing in public are exactly the topics we should discuss, and so have every intention of violating this cautionary maxim and discussing politics and religion, economics and philosophy, sexuality and relationships and so forth, and hopefully doing so in a way that encourages dialogue between myself and my readers, and between readers yourselves. With respect and civility, of course...
Back in the days when I ran for public office, we were required to give speeches. I hated giving speeches. I loved, however, having discussions, and whenever the format allowed, I would do just that - giving a brief introductory bio on me and who I was and why I was running for whatever post I was seeking, and almost immediately opening it up to questions. This was particularly enjoyable when I spoke to groups of students, whether high school or college, but with adult and professional groups as well. I would start by stating my position on whatever the topic at hand was (as I will do here), offering a rationale or justification, and then fielding questions and challenges. It made for a lively dialogue that forced me to see other viewpoints, broaden my perspective, and either defend my position when I was right, or adjust it when I was not. At the end of the day, the point wasn't winning the discussion, but learning and teaching, sharing and growing.
So, in closing my first and hopefully most boring post of 2010, a few thoughts I'd like you to take away:
- Please let me know what you think about any post, positive or negative. Your doing so is helpful to me in more ways than I can count, and hopefully will act a spur to further discussion.
- Please feel free to pitch, either through comments or email, any topic you would like us to get into. I do not want this to be a monologue, but a dialogue and as lively a one as we can muster.
- Please invite your friends and fellow travelers to join us. We welcome anyone of any persuasion with a bright mind, an open outlook, and a reasonably civil disposition.
- I ask that any invective be reserved for me personally, and that discussion between readers be kept on a civil plane. I don't ask or expect all to agree, lest the dialogue have a narcoleptic effect that is useful to nobody. I do, however, expect civility, as should we all.
Thanks for spending a few minutes with me. Until next week...
Challenging and testing my views is why I've debated so many people online. It's forced me to shape, hone, and (rarely) modify my views.
ReplyDeleteOf course, after several years, you start having the same debates over and over. Then the process becomes exhausting and unproductive.
Take the issue of Indian mascots, for instance. Mascot supporters come up with the same dozen arguments repeatedly. Once you've heard them all and shown the folly of these arguments, there's not much else you can say. If people won't respond--if they dismiss or ignore your counterarguments--that stymies the debate.