(Note: This post was written several days ago and is only now being put on the blog. I apologize for any untimeliness.)I've written several times of my dislike for politics, and yet I always seem to come back and write more about that subject. I have been doing some thinking and I don't believe I will write any more political posts on this blog.
My personality is such that I like to debate things, even argue. Politics certainly offers that opportunity, even though nobody's mind ever gets changed.
When I say politics, I mean the people in politics and the bad things they do. I'm not going to write about specific politicians on this blog any more. But I make a distinction between politics and government. That is to say, I don't find talking about systems of government, or theories of government distasteful. You might think that is splitting hairs. Perhaps. At any rate, I'm not going to blog about government theories or systems on this blog any more either.
I still feel a need to talk about government systems, especially the path the U.S. government is on, but I will confine my opinions to my blog which is devoted to that subject and stick to more user-friendly subjects on this blog. I don't intend to deal with religion on this blog either.
This blog was started, innocently enough, to help satisfy my lifelong desire to analyze and explain things. Analysis and interpretation are what I do. I am unable to NOT do those things. My previous blogs were dedicated to specific subjects and I started Clarity to remove this restriction. I want to return this blog to that premise.
You should know that when I explain something, I am doing it to myself, for my own benefit; it is not for the purpose of trying to be some sort of teacher to others, though I admit it gives me pleasure to know you are eavesdropping on my internal explainings.
I have never talked much about my real self in any of my blogs. I am simply an anonymous little dog character. My Blogger profiles have mostly been jokes, especially in the beginning when I was a 12-year-old empath. At least my current profile includes SOME truth.
For those of you who have an interest, I WILL tell you that the person behind the little dog has been a lifelong learner. I cannot remember a time, even in my earliest childhood, when I didn't take things apart to see what made them tick. I cannot remember a time when I wasn't always asking questions and arguing about the answers I got. I read like a vacuum cleaner. I own more books than Amazon, probably. I have been known to take Google's servers down singlehandedly. They once charged me with a denial of services attack on them. No, that's a lie. But it is true that learning new things and gathering new information and storing odd facts have been a lifelong and continuing process for me.
In my personal life, I am a self-employed capitalist: I buy and sell things for a living. For quite some time now, that has mostly meant trading stocks; because of my analytical bent, I seem to have a knack for that. People with my personality type can't really work for other people and so I struck out on my own at an early age. I haven't really worked for anyone else since I was 23 years old. I hate having people tell me what to do, and that definitely includes the U.S. Government.
Anyway, I started to say that, after I've collected information and learned something, and after I've then restated ("explained") it back to myself to prove I understand it, I try to do a short version on this blog in hopes that readers will comment and tell me what I left out or what I got wrong. Sometimes my short versions aren't so short. Sometimes I get pretty full of myself and go on too long, like now. Although I like to debate things, this blog is not where I envisioned serious debates taking place. Here I envisioned only the sharing of knowledge. Hence the stoppage of political posts. Debates will take place on the other blog once there are enough posts in place to open it to the public.
Since I've rambled on, let me also take this opportunity to thank those of you who read my stuff. Some of you have stuck with me for a long time, and I think you are just super.
First off let me thank you for the blog, it really fits into what I like.
ReplyDeleteSecond, I fear you will eventually come back to politics, since it so easy to get mad about what they are doing... but I wish you luck; write what ever make you happy and I’ll be there to read it.
Third, it’s obvious you have a way with words; have you tried to write a book? Do you have a blog dedicated to writing?
Thx for listening and sharing.
Your blogs, various as they have served to provoke much thought and debate, which I have enjoyed. Just like you, I enjoy saying the occasional thing with which I myself do not necessarily agree, in order to provoke a reaction. Throughout my childhood, I was encouraged to question, and take nothing for granted.
ReplyDeleteMy sister and I would sometimes swap sides in the midst of an argument.
It was fairly good training for real life. Especially when i discovered what a farce politics and law are. Neither are about the truth, and doing what's right, both are about pushing a not necessarily true or honest agenda, in order to come out on top.
Your posts have led me to more consideration of the stated aims of government, and the contrast with the reality that we get.
Here in Britain, we've had scandal after scandal of our members of parliament committing frauds in their expenses claims, more and more, as I see them glibly denying being thieves and liars, I read of the similar pigs in troughs in your world.
I agree with you. Smaller government, with fewer powers would be desirable. And a better way of making those people with power take responsibility too.
The buck should stop. And getting caught misbehaving should mean more than just being retired on a generous stipend.
The important question might be "Can you think of a better way?"
My answer would be "Only if you appoint me as your absolute ruler."
Your blog. Do what you want to do.
ReplyDelete@Jeff King - Hi Jeff and welcome back. Well, I probably can't completely not talk about politics or government, but I am going to try to keep it off this particular blog for a while. We'll see what happens! Have I ever tried writing a book? I guess the short answer is yes. I am always working on a few but never seem to get them finished. :) I only write non-fiction. I am not good at fiction and know nothing about it except what Stephanie Barr has been writing about on her blog lately. I've tried to write fiction without much success. I usually hide my secret fiction attempts. :) Here's a short story I wrote not long ago if you want to get an idea of how bad I am at fiction. Read it here.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your compliment.
@Soubriquet - While I love to debate, especially government and politicians, I have to occasionally make myself remember that it is also the path to losing readers. A lot of readers don't like politics, don't like to argue, and don't like my looooong posts. I thought the key might be to just drop in a political post once in a while, but it is too late for that. I need to cut out the politics and long posts and start trying to build up my readership again.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I still like to learn about new ideas and points of view on controversial subjects, including politics and government systems, and so I have started writing a series of essays on a separate blog which, when I have a few finished, I intend to invite some people over to critique them and tell me where I am wrong. I need this external input or else I will start thinking I have all the answers and will end up no better than the Far Left and Far Right.
I'll let you know.
@Stephanie Barr - Well, my stats tell me I am losing readership in droves. So I am moving the fights to another venue.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about stats. I haven't looked at my own in millenia. (Hyperbole, RM).
ReplyDeleteI don't normally comment on your political posts except at the most superficial level, partly because I'm not a political animal, and partly because I don't understand your country's politics very well at all. But, I do read them even when I don't contribute. I feel sure there are plenty of others who are passive rather than active visitors here. I hope you'll allow your less vocal readership to visit the new blog.
ReplyDeleteBut with whom will I then argue? I'll have to go and hound other blogs to spread the European agenda (if such a thing can even exist), or start nitpicking your non-political posts :(
ReplyDeleteBut as Stephanie says - it's your blog, do as you will... just don't expect your devoted readership not to drag you back into politics in the comments, muhahahaha!