Although in my mind it goes without saying, some of you may find yourselves at odds with the subjects and/or opinions that I may choose to write about. I am not here to argue whether or not you should feel the way that you feel about these things; that is your right as an individual, and also not my job. Nor will I waste your time, or mine, trying to argue a position to anyone that that individual is denying to themselves as being justified or even existent. This is a clear waste of time for all involved, and I did not start this blog with the intent to change anyone’s mind on anything.
With that said, I think it is important to point out that the intellectual climate we find ourselves occupying in the 21st century seems to be demonstrating a potentially dangerous trend towards reinforcing “beliefs,” where the survival of the “belief”(whatever it may be) increasingly subverts long-accepted modes of thought like rationality and objectivity. History is replete with examples of how this type of attitude can spawn all manner of despicable and horrific practices. We need look no further back than the decade of the 1930’s in the nation-state of Germany to find glaring evidence of its effectiveness. Additional evidence in our collective history is readily available for those who are willing to spend some of their time and energy to look for it.
Alright, true confessions time: I unapologetically admit that, throughout the course of my own experience in this world, I have rarely been able to reconcile the official narrative of what we are told we should believe when all the evidence from objective reality would point to the contrary. From a young age, it began to become clear to me that the story we are encouraged to invest our “belief” into not only had many gaps that were not being addressed(and sometimes purposely obfuscated), but also that there are facets of the story that can be empirically proven false. One of the questions that has consistently presented itself to me in the course of this process is: “what is an individual expected to do with a thing such as this?” (And yes, I actually talk to myself like this.)
While I am still without the answer to this particular question, I continue to look for it. That is the principle behind what I do here: to determine how this grand puzzle we view is constructed, presented, and manipulated in order to extract the greatest amount of “belief” from the general population. After all, what other currency has been more effective in transforming the everyday lives of human beings on this planet? An argument could be made for gold(and, to a lesser extent, other precious metals), but even that example invokes “belief.” The value of any precious metal or other alleged commodity is buoyed only by the “belief” of that value. Thus, if you invest no “belief” in that value, then the thing in and of itself is worthless.
This is an a pattern that has(for me) and will continue to rear its head as we progress on this journey; so allow it to never be far from the top of your mind. “Belief” creates value; sustained value then creates greater “belief;” and in turn, greater “belief” feeds back into value. It’s one hell of a feedback loop.
So, as we progress, I can almost guarantee that I may present you with ideas and concepts that will directly challenge something you invest your “belief” into. After all, we all invest into something, don’t we? Again, it is not my intent to cause distress or anguish to anyone that primarily utilizes their “beliefs” as part of their sense-making apparatus. It would be my hope that, at least at the individual level, challenging these ideas would have the effect of strengthening “beliefs” that can be proven objectively accurate and grossly beneficial for all, and dismantling those that cannot and are not.
As I see it(and I can only tell you how I see it), a large majority of the “beliefs” that we choose to invest our energy into have division as an ultimate goal; whether explicitly stated or not. We often allow ourselves to be pitted against one another in order to advance a “belief,” for either the individual or for all, while willingly ignoring the detrimental consequences that “belief” may be generating for some. For example, and in very general terms, “belief” in a particular religion can be demonstrated to be a far more destructive force than the absence of “belief” in any deity. Indeed, in this example, “belief” is every bit the currency of “authority;” without which, the “authority” would be incapable of exerting its will upon the populace.
Or, to put it another way: what if they held a war and nobody showed up to fight? Who would the generals command into battle? What if they held an election and nobody showed up to vote? How would the politicians assert their mandate to govern? What if they blew the whistle to begin the labor shift and nobody showed up to work? What would the managers and administrators accomplish without fuel for their engine? Obviously, all of these systems would immediately collapse on themselves, as maybe they should. “Belief” is a large part of what makes these machines run.
These are my observations. These are the subjects that fascinate me; both as an individual, and as an observer of the greater whole of humanity. These are the types of things that I intend to examine, explore, and inject into this blog. You may find some, or all, of these subjects objectionable. You may find this entire website to be objectionable. And you may well find me as an author to be objectionable. That is your choice. All that I ask of you, as the reader, is to consider what is presented. And if you do find something to be objectionable, have a conversation with yourself about why you find it to be so. You just might be surprised by the answers you are able to discern on your own. I have been.
