Close-Minded

Close-Minded. A quick Google search takes me to answers.com, first dictionary entry: intolerant of the beliefs and opinions of others; stubbornly unreceptive to new ideas.

A friend asked me why I wanted to start a blog. Why? Isn't that just what you do in the 21st Century? Well, he got me thinking...why, indeed. Some start blogs as personal journals, some as family updates, some start blogs for cheap laughs, some to prosthelytize, some...well, I could go on and on. The point is, I now had this question without answer. In essence, the question could be rephrased as "what is the purpose of this blog?"

I propose this purpose: to fight Close-Mindedness, go toe-to-toe with intolerance, seek understanding and try to see "truth" from all of its sides. Get ready for some quotes. Oscar Wilde: "The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple." I feel many would agree with this, yet so many cling to their "truth" without ever admitting alternative possibilities. "Chase after truth like hell and you'll free yourself, even though you never touch its coat-tails."-Clarence Darrow. What an idea! How could the world benefit if everyone stopped claiming to have the absolute truth and demanding others follow it? Rather, what if we continue to seek it? Another great quote, this time from André Gide, "Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it." Because as Darwin puts it, "It is always advisable to perceive clearly our ignorance."

I want to encourage people who may stumble upon this blog to challenge and compare their perspectives of truth with others who might have a slightly different take, or an entirely opposing viewpoint. However, I want to challenge these perspectives in a respectful and even loving way because, as Gandhi said, "The pursuit of truth does not permit violence on one's opponent." Or in Voltaire's words: "Love truth, pardon err."

I don't want to get caught up in outright changing of perspectives, rather I want people to question their own. The worst that can happen is that you take a step closer in your pursuit of truth, whether that means strengthening your previous perspective or giving a little to the possibility of the opposition.

So welcome, all who are seeking truth and weary of intolerance. This blog welcomes all demographics, all creeds, all political parties, religious, irreligious, hippy, conservative, green, underappreciated, over-appreciated, friend, foe or stranger. All are welcome; even the close-minded.

Thoughts On Love

I've been thinking about love. Not just romantic love or brotherly love, friendship or sex, but all of it. What is love? Where did it come from? Why do we love? Why don't we love? Is love just an evolutionary phenomenon that has developed to further our species? Did an all-powerful being create love and give it to us or is love a reason for our creation? Or maybe love was simply invented by corporate America to sell us more chocolate.

Whatever the case, love is undeniably a powerful thing. Love has incredible power. It inspires books, movies, songs, music...it inspires people to accomplish amazing feats just as it sustains people through the agony of great defeats. Love may have inspired life itself. Love is powerful, but as any power can be, it is also dangerous.

Love: Joy. Warmth. Passion. Peace. Beauty. I associate these words with love because I have experienced them alongside and within love. But, there is danger even in these pleasant words... whenever you have these things, you also have the danger of loss, and in loss we often find pain. The greater a love, the deeper the hurt when we lose it. Then there is the danger we find when love is corrupted. Jealousy. Sadism. Too much love for the wrong thing (power, money, country, race) and we find ourselves at war. Love; powerful, but dangerous.

So what next? Become a hermit and hide from love? Miss out on the joy and hope that love can be in order to avoid that danger and escape the pain and hurt that love can leave you in? Become a cynic, deny love? Pretend that this thing that people laugh and sing about doesn't really apply to you and your world. The problem is you can't hide from it and you can't deny it, because it exists and it will find you. Embrace it? How? I don't have an answer to that question.... I just don't.

I do know my life without love... it's shabby. It's boring. And it's not worth a damn. As much danger as love puts you in, it's worth it for the excitement and joy that you get, in spite of any pain. I know that while losing a love, a lover, a loved one, hurts awfully, it couldn't hurt to lose it unless it had been something worth having.

"He who loves 50 people has 50 woes; He who loves no one has no woes." --Buddha

If that's true, if love and woe walk hand in hand...
then I'll take woe over no woe any day.