Writing to seek truth, Not to Reinforce What Readers Want to Believe
I do not profess to be either the owner, or arbiter, of truth. In fact, the truth be told, I am merely a seeker of truth, as opposed to a seeker of validation.
Writing has been my lifelong pursuit and is certainly not a competitive event for me, nor is it a social activity where I feel obliged to stroke egos, or tell readers things that make them feel warm and fuzzy inside. I avoid such behaviours, even in the real world, as they are certainly a waste of time, and are only good for one thing—the often erroneous beliefs of readers.
So let’s get it straight, I am not going to waste my time writing just to tell people what they WANT to hear. If I am going to write, then I am going to write about what I think the community needs to hear, and if they are mature adults, then they should understand and appreciate that. By the same token, if they are not, I simply dismiss them as not being in the caliber of people with whom I am desirous of communicating with.
Why try to have a discussion with people whose minds are closed to ideas that differ from their own? Such people have already made up their minds about what they want to believe, so truth, new facts, and even reality, are meaningless to them. So what’s the point of a discussion? There isn’t one.
At recent a function, I received a comment from one lady (at least, I am assuming it was a female) who said something to the effect that ever since I betrayed a thought that she did not agree with that she had lost all respect for anything I had to say. In a further conversation it became blatantly apparent that my opinion was offensive to her more liberated feminist views.
I had written an article that was intended to give women insight into how most men think.
I considered it a very innocuous article, since it was based on what men have routinely discussed with colleagues themselves going back to the time Noah constructed the ark. It described my observation of how most men categorize women.
I pointed out that in my opinion most men place women in one of three categories:
* Easy – convenient and nice to have around when there is no one else to be intimate with, but have very little respect for
* Friends with benefits – women who men like and respect, but whether or not they would marry them is a 0question mark
* Women who are generally low-key and very protective of their sexuality – or, the kind that most men are looking for in a wife, hence, the phrase, “my lady.” Sadly a term so rarely heard today.
Believe me, this woman was highly offended, and said that as a result she had lost respect for anything I had to say. I pointed out to her that while I was sorry that she felt that way, I could certainly understand it. I let her know in no uncertain manner that I was not a columnist out to win friends and fans, and furthermore was certainly not there just to reinforce what she wanted to believe.
I write mainly to engage readers in serious discussions and to elevate their thinking to the next level with serious-minded and objective people who are capable of intellectual detachment.
So, for my purpose, it can clearly be seen that people who are emotional and allow their egos to get all caught up in a discussion are a distraction.
So if anyone doesn’t like what I write, or have to say, believe me it’s not necessary to throw tantrums and spitballs – that’s the way children behave. Such people have an urgent need to realize that they do not live in this world alone, and the rest of the world have no obligation whatsoever to cater to views that make them feel good.
There are others who may also disagree with me, but may want to challenge my views in a more detached and intellectual fashion. Such folks are welcome; they are the ones who give the community newspaper the potential for being informative and transformative. My opinion remains my own so if it is such an intolerable assault on what an individual wants to believe, they should simply do what they think best, and I will get the point.
What is more ironic about it is more often than not these tend to be the very people running around with their hair on fire, wanting to know what’s wrong with the world, and why people are so dumb.
Well here is another, “Why” distract a writer who wants to discuss pertinent issues, explore ideas, and who is genuinely seeking mutual communal growth, with inane side issues and false assumptions regarding the motivations of the writer.
If you feel that the writer has a hidden agenda, do something constructive. Write an article of your own with an opposing view, laying out the issues that you feel are relevant – some of my best articles have started out that way. That way you’re ADDING to the body of knowledge, instead of simply being a distraction.
Life is simple. Why make it complicated?
Remember, within each problem lies the solution.
Aleuta—The struggle continues.
