Here’s the thing. I have a view on reality that differs markedly from most of my friends and family. It’s not unique view, as there are millions out there who share some or most of my opinions and viewpoints. But I do believe this group is still a minority.
So knowing this, I’ve created this website with several purposes in mind. One of the primary ones is as a means to get into contact with others who have viewpoints similar to some of mine, and to stimulate discussion. I’m already an avid reader of many of the websites such people have created, so I have an idea where to find those that I am looking to engage with. But these are hardly the only people.
So why blog? Anytime you force yourself to put thoughts into writing, you inevitably create a learning experience for yourself, I’ve discovered over the years. Committing ideas and opinions to paper has a dramatic effect on convictions you were convinced you held, because a lot of them can evaporate in a sentence (or non-sentence). See, when you realize that it’s not possible to string together a couple sentences that clearly explain what these opinions are – let alone actually justify them – they probably need a bit of refinement…or belong in the trash bin. Otherwise, if exposed in some sort of rudimentary form, they quickly get torn apart.
To engage, not convince
There is a viewpoint that exists that says that the primary purpose of opinionated blogsites is to convince those with differing opinions to change. However, I don’t see things this way. I don’t see the purpose of this website, or most others, as being to convince others to see things the way I see them. In my experience, those who work with ideas and opinions rarely convince those aren’t already quite sympathetic to what is being said. That is, people tend to convince themselves. Instead, I would say the real value lies in bringing forward new thoughts, new twists, and contributing to a discussion among largely like-minded people. Hopefully the discussion is engaging enough to bring a lot of new faces into the fold along the way.
Stand up, young man!
Admittedly, for too long I have been too shy to publicly express my real feelings and expose my deepest opinions to scrutiny and criticism. It’s tough to stand up and say something when you are pretty sure those surrounding you won’t see eye-to-eye with your way of seeing things. But that catch is the only way to eventually come into contact with such people who share your opinions, is to actually stand up and say what you really feel and believe. So that is what I am now doing. I hope that in doing so I encourage others to do the same.
