2005-03-02 - 6:32 a.m.
I learned something about myself this morning, after 37 years of life: I do not enjoy flute music. It's just an opinion.
Speaking of opinions...
I'm (generally) not an opinionated person. No, that's not right - let me clarify - I'm (generally) not one to share an opinion. That is, unless certain conditions apply, wherein my opinion is relevant to a discussion or a relationship, or my opinion is solicited. In those cases I'm willing to share my opinion, but I am not one to interject my it every chance I get. I don't care for that practice.
I do, however; have opinions about all kinds of things. I think that I don't share them for the reason I mentioned above and because opinions can stir up trouble. I enjoy debate, but I don't like to argue and folks can argue about their opinions for days. I’m also a very non-confrontational person.
This being the case, there are a few things that I have opinions about, which you will rarely (if ever) hear (or read) me talk about. I think I'll bring them up here, just to get them out of the way.
1) Politics: If I were a well known personality in this country, I'm sure that I would get slammed for what I am about to say - I just don't care about American politics. The reason I don't care is because they have become redundant and irrelevant in the hands of politicians. Today's government is neither "By the people" nor "for the people" in my opinion, rather; today's government is "By" and "For" a small group of people with strong personal and political agendas. These are the people who "run" our country. These people spout rhetoric out one side of their mouth and pat the American public on the back with the hand on the same side, while advancing their own agendas with the other side of their mouth and their other hand. And they're not even good at faking sincerity any more. Their speeches and actions in front of the camera are so transparent, yet the vast majority of Americans don't care, while the small group that does care follows these golden cows like mindless sheep.
Our government is permeated by these people and has been for decades. The sad thing is, in my opinion, there is little we (the American public) can do about it. Not to mention, we as a group, are generally apathetic, lazy, and unmotivated feeling completely uncompelled to rally for change from our lazy boy, while watching what we've recorded on our TIVO, while listening to our I-POD. Why change anything when we're comfortable? It's not like we're part of a global community, right?
Our government today is about: Elite individuals, big business, advancing global capitalism heedless of the costs, personal agendas.
2) Religion: This is my favorite topic to debate, because it can lead to discussions about spirituality, which has nothing to do with religion...in my opinion. I love to talk about "spiritual" issues, but find that talk of religion can lead to heated arguments. I don't argue. I was a "Born again" Christian for the better part of my life (now I am a born again human), so I can spout the Bible and talk religion all day. I attended nearly every known form of protestant Christian church known to man, so I am well versed in doctrine too. The thing is, I do not agree with the precepts of religion and I feel that the Christian church, by-in-large, has lost touch with its own identity and the roots of its faith having sacrificed these things to religious doctrine. It's just an opinion, mind you.
3) Abortion: This one is difficult, because people who have strong opinions about the topic can often be zealotus in their stance, which leads to violent arguments. Again...I DO NOT argue. My opinion may be viewed as "wishy-washy" by some, but it works for me. While I do not support the act of abortion, in ALL cases, I do support the right to choice. If I were to put a religious spin on this I would say that the first and greatest gift given to humankind by our divine creator was the gift of choice. We as humans are free to choose our own path in life, often at the expense of others. Hopefully, we will choose wisely, but this is not always the case. None-the-less freedom of choice is our divine right. In my mind it is better to choose not to create a life that you are not prepared to be responsible for and taking the act of reproduction lightly is not an option in this regard. Making life disposable, because we are not willing to be responsible for our own actions or monitor and control them, is sickening to me. I believe I am entitled to this opinion, because statistics show that the preponderance of abortions is due to irresponsible sexual practices.
So that's it - the big three. I don't usually talk about these things and now you know why and so do I. Want to argue some points? Apparently you weren't paying attention...I DON'T ARGUE!
