Here I’ve put some safety information and an outline of my reasons for sharing stuff.
What else appears here will be very much dependant on what I put elsewhere on the site. I’m happy to share with good people, not so much with idiots. Anyone in the former category will understand my attitude towards the latter.
I have been called opinionated in the past, and yes I have opinions but they are produced by observation, questioning and knowledge. Does that piss some people off? Yep! Am I opinionated? Nope! I don’t believe you have to have an opinion about everything. It seems many disagree with me. However, those people seem to wear opinions like a suit of armour, almost as if not having nailed down views on every subject on the planet somehow leaves them vulnerable.
“Do you believe in Aliens?”
“I don’t have an answer one way or another.”
(Sharp intake of breath and eyes go wide) “You don’t believe in Aliens. You do know…? (there follows a grand expose of the whole subject including Roswell, abductions, crop circles and Michael Portillo)
— It’s more important to understand the question than have an answer —
The above is my personal ethos. A lot of people will pick an opinion off the shelf, usually one that aligns with the way they wish the world to be, or how they already see it. That is not reality. You need to question and collect all data, whether you like it or not. You may arrive at a conclusion, or you could fail to reach a supportable result.
The important thing is that you are able to support any position. Any idiot can learn simple answers, but those are soon stripped away if the idiot in question crumbles at the first serious challenge. Without relevant evidence and data, an acquired opinion will be swept aside – valid or not. You can therefore speak knowledgeably on any subject without taking sides, and listeners will appreciate the breadth of understanding. Those in disagreement indicate a weakness in their approach that’s clear to all.
I often say to people that I watch many different news channels, and occasionally meet with derision, and an assumed intellectual superiority over me. I don’t watch selective/subjective news that cements dogmatic belief and feeds ignorance. That smells strongly of fear and delusion. I believe it is much more vital to understand the whole picture, and how all parties appreciate the matter in question. This kind of understanding is more valuable than a narrow limited view that feels safe or familiar, but only until something comes along and forces you to see the complete picture (it usually does, as experience shows). The picture that fear has denied you has now arrived – ready or not! I prefer to be ready.
L C McCarthy 