It is time. I know you can feel it.
It has never been everyday and it has never been normal. It has been around eleven years since this site had any new material grace its pages. I’ve grown, you’ve hopefully grown. Now would be a great time to gather again and find out what we have learned.
I have continued to argue with people on the internets regarding various topics and I am about to say something that you have probably never heard anyone say. I honestly feel like this activity has made me a better person and has largely been a valuable use of my time and energy. Are you shocked?
Looking back on several of the discussions I have had, there are particular common threads that make them useful and worthwhile to me. In each encounter that inspired growth, I consciously did a few things that made the interaction fruitful. I wholeheartedly recommend each of these to everyone and promise that they will make what you find here, going forward, and what you encounter anywhere else, a better experience.
Curiosity
Why does a person or group of people believe a certain way? What value is derived from seeing it that way? Can you understand why they would want to see it that way? Is there some set of facts which actually disproves their view or have you cobbled together a weak case against their view? Have they cobbled a weak case against you? What makes a case weak or strong? What’s that? Where are my pants?
Benefit of the Doubt
Never believe your opponent to be acting in bad faith until it can be proven that they are. The person you are talking to most likely has good intentions (although I have encountered some who do not). Before you make an absolute fool of yourself by fighting a strawman, you should fully clarify everything and assume nothing.
Read Carefully
Most people will, at some point, catch themselves misreading, or even adding text that wasn’t written, in an online discussion. Many times this comes from categories you have placed people into within your own mind. While politics, and the us vs. them dynamic found in politics commonly make this a safe practice, it should still be avoided. Even if you have to read each sentence and phrase very slowly, you must understand and address what was actually written.
Honesty
This is the most important principle. Your only purpose in any discussion of a serious topic must be to teach or learn the truth. When you have any other agenda you will get caught on the side of lies. When you do something like present a piece of evidence which does not actually support what you said, or you only looked into the headline, you are lying. If someone calls you on poor evidence or any other dishonest happening, whether glaring or slight, you must admit it and adjust your mind. This one is difficult because what we know as humans is extremely limited, and what has been put into the body of information that exists in today’s world is very tainted with dishonesty of various kinds and for diverse reasons.
I mention these in this glorious return post because by following these principles I have found myself to be wrong in a great many ways. There are some topics that when I encountered a person with the opposing view, I knew I was just going to get them good. I felt that as soon as I studied up a bit more and found that damning information, I would make them see the error of their ways. But the reality was that, upon learning more, I would conclude that I had been ignorant of very basic parts of what I had been resisting or advocating.
This attitude has seemingly made me immune to all kinds of dishonesty and manipulation, which is far more rampant in this world than at any other time that I have any small knowledge of. I thought I was principled before, but I was very wrong. My utmost concern is truth and it is my hope that truth is what will be on these pages. I will revisit the old classic posts too and I am sure I will sometimes make fun of my former self. The world needs truth very badly right now and I hope you will come along with me and help out in obtaining it in these pages. I am still going to make many jokes and you will still have to decipher when I am serious or not. So here we go. Everyday Normal is back.
DEATH TO LIES