The purpose of this blog is pretty simple; the non-purpose of this blog is perhaps even simpler. I don't want this to be your run-of-the-mill blog. You won't read about the dull goings-on of my life. You won't read about my reactions to the latest insignificant news story. And you certainly won't see this blog on CNN along with the rest of the inane 'blogosphere' giving their ignorant two cents about political events. But most importantly, unlike all the other social commentator wannabes out there blogging, this blog won't tell you what to think.
Rather this blog is out there as a resource with which I can comment on issues that I've been thinking about recently, informing you, the reader, of the conclusions I've come to and the method by which I came to those conclusions. One of the foundational quotes for this blog is from Calvin Coolidge, our 30th president:
They criticize me for harping on the obvious. Perhaps someday I'll write On the Importance of the Obvious. If all the folks in the United States would do the few simple things they know they ought to do, most of our big problems would take care of themselves.One of the obvious things that most people - let alone 'folks in the United States' - don't do is think. They allow other people to think for them, form their opinions for them, and ultimately control how they view the world. And because people are so used to that, when they do begin to think for themselves, their capacity for critical thinking is in such a state of atrophy that they are unable to form any coherent or rational conclusion. So, a potential side-effect will be to demonstrate how to think. Not what to think, but the all-encompassing universal approach which must be applied to virtually each and every thought.
But that is indeed merely a side-effect; my purpose isn't to be a resource to society to that end. The up-front purpose is to get my thoughts out there along with the in-depth reasons for those thoughts. Many people have told me that I don't fit many molds; that I am a conglomeration of many spheres of influence; I don't even fit the 'maverick' cliché. Because of that, people have been curious for many of my reasons behind the way that I am: after all, there must be a reason behind all my diverse opinions. That's what this blog will publish. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your view), since every reason has itself another reason behind it, that means that I will probably never reach the bottom of why's.
The second main purpose is entirely selfish - or at least mostly selfish. I have found throughout my life that if I take the time to write out my view on a given subject, it requires me to think quite a bit about the subject, giving me a very good understanding of my own opinion, fleshing out my thoughts. And since I'd like to have that foundation for the most important aspects of my mind, I'll write on those aspects. And if I'm writing, might as well publish for free, right?
Though I'm under no delusions that anyone will actually care. I'll be surprised if there's even half a dozen people who care about any single post on this blog. But mass readership isn't my goal. If it was, I'd be writing for an established newspaper/periodical.
So what does that all mean? It means that every once in a while I'll be writing up an article - and believe me, they'll all be quite lengthy - about a subject I've been pondering recently. Most of the time it'll be political or religious in nature, since those are the two biggest universal interests I have, but there will also be splashes of music, books, history, and other random musings. And there will, of course, be many articles on the logical intersect of religion and politics: worldview.
So, I hope that if you do decide to read this blog regularly that you'll enjoy the time and that it will be time well-wasted. Who knows, I may actually make a difference. Wouldn't my elementary school teachers be proud?
Next Topic: The Title of This Blog (exciting, eh?)
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