Being Moderate

This entry is strictly copied and pasted from my first attempt at a blog:

This is my blog. There are many like it but this one is mine.

Ok. Enough cheese for now. I've decided to blog. Nothing special... yet. I'm not what people who know me would call "social" or even "friendly" in some cases, but I am determined to vent some pent up philosophies that I feel might cause controversy and possible discord in my relations with friends, family, friends of the family, and friend's friends that can see posts to my friends' walls on Facebook.

As much as I like peace and disdain turmoil, I'm also tired of repressing myself in my efforts to get along with everyone. I'm not being true to myself that way, and in doing so, I may become an asshole in some (more) people's eyes. It's time to stop caring about the eggshells. This is not to say that I'm going to go out of my way to be a jerk. I still care and will consider the ramifications of my actions and words, but only so far as to say what I mean diplomatically instead of running my mouth unfiltered.

So on to my first topic: me and why I'm making this blog now. It's about Facebook. I have noticed that all the contacts I have made through relations and friends of relations span the entire spectrum of philosophical thought. They unabashedly post their viewpoints and opinions without regard as to who may be reading them. Many of these posts are extreme in their views and show a primal hatred for those that oppose their views. I see these posts from liberal contacts, and I see these posts from conservative contacts (y'all know who y'all are!), and I'm stuck in the middle. Quiet. Not wanting to comment on anything since my posts are visible to all my contacts. Fearing attack and possible disassociation from friends of family. Not choosing sides. The reality of it is that I'm actually in the middle of it all. The real middle. Not extreme. Just moderate.

I am not affiliated with any political party, movement, association, organization, non-profit, or march except the Masons. Originally, I said to myself that I didn't want to be on any mailing lists and that still remains true to this day. However, the greater truth is that I don't want anyone labeling me with preconceived notions derived from my memberships to particular groups of people. Currently, I only officially belong to one charitable organization which makes a great effort to be non-political in its operations and public image. I am not an extremist. Moderates cannot, by definition, be extreme.

So what is my definition of moderation? Not being extreme or excessive.

How does one be a moderate? I will describe how I go about it...

Let me start with the moderations people know about. Moderately drinking alcohol, if at all. I do imbibe on occasion. I don't ever get drunk. I did that once, just to see what it was all about, and it wasn't that special. I eat in moderation... on average. I like eating and sometimes hit a buffet with gusto until I know I made a mistake, but the next day usually averages it out for me since I take so long to process what I did the day before. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so desserts and snacks are infrequent. On exercise: I'm probably below average there and need to work out more often, but my current job has me constantly moving, so it's not like I'm dormant all day. I just need to target certain problem areas that need attention and I'll be closer to what I'd like to be.

Now let me attempt to explain how I am politically moderate. I love this country. I honestly believe that most Americans love this country. I do not think that the two major political parties are inherently evil or have sinister hidden agendas ahead of the nation's interests. Arguments can be more easily made about this regarding individual politicians, but I don't think that the parties themselves are out to ruin this great nation of ours. They just have VERY different views on how it should be run. That being said, I see major flaws in both of their philosophies and so subscribe to neither of them. The most interesting thing about it all is that those aforementioned flaws are very easily and readily pointed out by the opposing party, but are not addressed by the party possessing said flaws. No! Instead, it is counterattack, ridicule, and name-calling that ensues most often from the offended party and its followers. It's ridiculous and a sad commentary on the political process of today. What's worse is the division of the nation yet again along political philosophies among the citizenry. It's scary because it cannot be easily divided on rough geographical lines this time. I've likened it in conversation to sports fanatics that have chosen a team and blindly support it, yea even defend it should some hapless soul voice a slight against the chosen side intentionally or not.

I have my own opinions and philosophies. I will not be lured into a confrontation based on loyalty, but will willingly discuss the facts, data, and processes of a subject to form my own conclusions about any given subject. In accordance with this belief of mine, I listen and absorb all the information I can from wherever I can with full knowledge that the sources ARE biased in some way. (Some much more obvious than others!) So I do listen to conservative talk radio. I do listen to NPR. I do read the headlines, articles, and comments of various news sites, news aggregation sites, and message boards. I heed the articles my friends and family post on their Facebook pages so as to know how the current winds blow from all corners of the spectrum. But I don't hate.

The biggest turnoff for me in any discussion is when a person with an extreme point of view advocates the physical harm or death of those in the opposition. When racists fondly speak of lynchings, they are in the wrong. When comedians daydream about the deaths of conservatives, that is also wrong. When there is talk of assassination of anyone for any reason, it is wrong. I am of the belief that premature death should only happen by natural causes, or in defense of someone else's life in the face of imminent death themselves. There's more to be explored in that thought, but that will be another conversation for another day. Simply put: I think everyone should stop hating and start listening to each other. The truth is to be found in the middle!

But, I am one voice on a newly minted blog. What are the chances anyone's going to listen to me?

-4/12/10-