Monday, December 21, 2015

Caveat emptor

Hey there.

My posts have become sparse of late but not because I am ignoring the blog. I’ve been up to a whole lot of research which I aim to disseminate in installments here in this space, and very soon. I need to make sizable initial progress before I will know how to break it all down into chapters and thus before I can begin to post. My aim is to keep it all as brief as reasonably possible.

The subject matter (which I have absorbed in large volumes for years now) is too complex and immense to ever be brought fully under the reliable umbrella of one person’s living experience; to be tarred with the bold label, truth, and is too critical to every living person to be lazily reconciled. As I seek specific subject matter in order to update older material and to fill in the gaps, I must do everything in my power to be vigilant: to question the motives of every source; to disregard unconsolidated claims; to give weight to demonstrably neutral sources, to decipher the logical middle ground between opposing stakeholders, to apply the most robust logic and to be wary of the gaps in logic offered to me, which often do not become evident but in hindsight.

Perhaps the greatest hurdle though, is that of transparency. Contrary to normal, almost universal, human behavior, I do not take delight, subconscious or otherwise, in bearing bad news. And though I have an unusually strong regard, perhaps passion, for the pursuit of unvarnished truth, there are conceivable realities of which – I’m inclined to think – I might literally respect people’s wishes to remain ignorant, all things considered.

The great problem, I suspect, is how to know when an argument comes from an associate’s genuine desire for truth, but approached from a different direction or bias then mine, or when it comes from a buried desire to remain ignorant. How do I know when to persist and when to charitably decline? Not just in the blog but in my life going forward? The greatest jeopardy lies in the people who outwardly believe they seek truth while subconsciously demanding illusion. These are the most dangerous people to corner with convincing logic.

And how do I warn readers here, that I might drag you into something you don’t want to be dragged into, before it’s too late? All I can promise is an honest attempt at honesty. Buyer beware.

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