Bashing

So the wife and I were having one of our usual bedtime discussions this evening and my thoughts wandered to this exact blog. I mentioned that one of my co-workers recently asked for my blog address and I of course provided it with the bemused thought that chances are they have no idea what they’re getting themselves into. I told the wife that looking at the traffic logs it appeared that the subject had come in, looked around for a while and then left without saying a word. Her somewhat disgruntled response was that no doubt I had offended the person with some comment or other and in particular she mentioned that I “bash religion.”

Clearly, this is a point in need of some clarification. Nothing I’ve written here is really intended to “bash” anything. I have questions; I have concerns and in general I’ll openly and inarticulately provide them to anyone who asks. The only way to really improve on any situation is through open, honest dialog about it. If I’m wrong about something I’ve posted on here or someone disagrees then it’s time for them to step up and say it. I’d frankly welcome the exchange of ideas. I’d be giddy to be proven wrong in any and all of my ideas and am anxious for the act of self-improvement that would represent.

As I understand it, there are many reasons people wouldn’t bother, sadly. For most, it’s just plain not worth it. Who wants to invest their time in talking to someone else who has started out at such a diametrically opposed position to their own? It’s much more comfortable to surround yourself with same-thinking people and get instant affirmation. That’s understandable I suppose but does belie a certain degree of intellectual inertia. Grow or die, someone says to me about once per quarter. The same isn’t just true of corporations but also of people.