First Blog

Why is having hard conversations about the truth a good thing? Hard discussions about truth have many values.  To me, the most important is for all to become aware of its tricky nature.  It is posited as the last word on a subject, the finality we must accept. Finality is the keyword. In this way, it is used to silence further discussion.    "Truth" is used by all instructors, clergymen, politicians, and your friends - all the time. All promote their own views or truths. Hard discussions allow us to understand this, and not be so easily swept up into the truths of others, and not to be conflicted by moronic conversations about truth vs belief. You can have principles , such as “love thy neighbor,” or “theory A is it.” You can live by commandments , such as “Thou shall not kill.” It is always best to understand the differences between these and actual truth. Truth is ethereal, and that’s the truth. 😊 Nonetheless, we all want truth. We crave truth. We b

Spite is a terrible thing.  As a verb, it is to  deliberately   upset  someone or cause them  problems .  Many of us secretly spite one another, but knowing it is wrong, mask it in some principle or other. Examples. A. He rejected promotion to his disliked colleague’s application because he thought his problem-solving skills were inadequate.  The spite is the rejection. The principle is the strength of or value to the company. B. She revealed her neighbor had been arrested for driving under the influence, because she said our neighborhood should maintain the highest standards.   The spite is the revelation.   The principle is those high standards.   C. “Life’s unfair,” is a principle often used to demonstrate a measure of spite toward someone down and out - while you are not. The Scarlet Letter , a novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850, is a lesson in social spite. One example more.  The cat drank from the dog's water dish just to spite it.  No pr

Symbols. A good message for politicians to send to all Americans is that "permanent" employees of the US Government, such as the FBI, should be required to re-take their oath of office periodically, like every two years.   Elected officials must.   So, why don't at least senior employees?   Sure it is symbolic, but are we not a country of symbols?   --------------- In politics, the greatest difference is between those who build their actions on a pole of principles and those who base their actions on polls of the populace. --------------- Violence means more than the mere destruction of property; it is also means the destruction of freedom.