"If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything."In the same way, if you don't express something, you will let the voice of others be your own. You may be wrong or inexperienced, but if you say something, someone can challenge you. Consequently, you will need to support the views you express.
Of course, you can keep your thoughts to yourself. Like my beautiful wife says, when I ask her, "What are you thinking?", she says,
"Everything and Nothing!"That would irritate the snot out of me when we started our married life. Now I understand why she says this... OK, I sort of think that I have a clue! She has a lot on her mind, and sometimes, it's difficult to talk with and to me if her emotions are strong or when her feelings aren't running high. As she tries to understand herself, she has memories and feelings but not concrete views she wants me to know.
Thankfully, she doesn't blurt our the first thing that comes to mind. Some feelings don't need to be expressed immediately. Maybe, we can think first, attempt to calm down, and then discuss out some ideas. It's like discovering who you are, not just in your head, but in relationship to others. I may feel good about my actions and words, but they may be poisonous to others.
So, I am starting this blog to help me understand myself and life. It will cover issues associated with cultures and interaction between them. I will discuss religion, doctrine, worldviews, and philosophy. I will discuss, maybe most importantly, imagination.
I think that God thought the world up, but even if you see life and origins differently, the possibilities of this universe are almost boundless. With God, nothing is impossible. Without Him, life is incredibly interesting. Without the supernatural, there is a limit; one can comprehend things through the five senses and through the imagination. That's a big field, but still with a limit.
I hope that I can interact and communicate with anyone who can read this, even the staunchest atheist (the Christopher Hitchens disciples of the world): not as "my next conquest/victim", but as someone who deserves my attention. Therefore, I hope that people will read this and express themselves. I hope that my words can move your mind to know yourself and others more. Thanks for listening! I look forward to knowing more, because of each of you, my readers... if anyone does read this!
A Preview of a Future Posting:
Immigration: Who's Included in "We The People"?
How an American (whatever that means) strive "to form a More Perfect Union" without accepting rules for that union? In my opinion, immigration is an important issue because a Republic, e.g. the United States of America, is based on an agreement of its citizens to live together for a common purpose. On the flip side, there have been attempts at closed "republics", which are little more than country clubs focused not on influence but on protection.
The USA has had starts and stops on the road to becoming a Republic. Even in places like Virginia, with the least entrance requirements, new arrivals to the colony were not considered potential members of the agreement if you were a slave. You are in chains? Well, thanks for not dying on the Middle Passage! You get to spend the next undefined number of years of your life working for the good of the community!
At one point, Utah (actually what the Latter-Day Saints called Deseret) and other Seperatists like the New England Puritan communities wanted a community for "True Believers". However, when we separate ourselves, we exclude others, thereby creating enemies.
So, do we have rules for inclusion in this Republic? WHat are they? How do we deal with Cross-Pollenization of cultures? What Truths do we hold "to be self-evident"?
Feel Free to Respond to me here. I will talk with you, God willing and me working, promptly.
E.X. Hatch
