Steven H. Wilson

I've grown to hate arguing. Many people do, but I didn't used to. I used to enjoy the process of debating conflicting opinions with friends and acquaintances. It gave me a charge. It tested and refined my beliefs. Now I consciously avoid it.

I think that's because it depresses me to find out either how stupid people are, how easily led, or to realize that I have disagreements with people whose opinions I value and those disagreements likely will never be resolved. Maybe both sides see an aspect of the truth. Maybe one side is wrong. That means either I'm wrong or someone I respect is wrong.

I'm not sure which is more painful, but both hurt.

Another thing I've come to hate about arguing is that most people around me seem to be intellectual and emotional bullies. They express their opinions so harshly that to grant them any credence at all is to admit that you were, are, and always will be a fool for ever disagreeing with them. Like FDR, they accept nothing less than unconditional surrender. If their opponent makes the slightest mistake, they pounce on it and make the argument all about that little, tiny mistake.

Some people probably think I'm that kind of bully as well. When it comes to religious or political topics, however I think I tend to try and find acceptable middle ground with people. I may disagree with them, but I'm willing to concede that our different life experiences may just cause us to see things differently. That puts me at a real disadvantage when I try to argue with a person who can't conceive of ever being wrong.

Finally, I just don't have the energy any more. Almost 43 years into this life, I'm just tired of working so hard to get along with people who probably don't give a damn whether they get along with me or not.

Which leads me to this place. I have strong opinions about a lot of things, but I don't voice them much anymore, except to family members. Even then I'm careful with some. I've even taken to leaving the room when political topics come up, because I don't want my tongue to bleed from being bitten, and I don't want my head to start hurting from listening to selfish hatred.

I'd like to get some of my thoughts out there, though. Probably writing them down is a better way to do that, anyway, than sitting in someone's living room and arguing. It certainly allows me to concentrate a little better. 43 years later, my concentration ability is the worst it's ever been Takes me longer than it used to to think a coherent thought.

So, as some sort of therapy, I'm going to answer a poll that I missed. I subscribe to Liberty magazine, which tells you something about my politics, in case you didn't already know. (That's 'liberty' as in 'libertarian,' not as in 'Liberty Baptist.') Every ten years or so, they do a poll of their readers' opinions on a number of questions. I'm slow to get to my reading, so the results of the 2008 poll were published before I even knew they'd sent it out. My bad. But I have this blog, and I can answer the questions right here, expounding far more than any survey sheet would ever let me.

I'll begin with my next entry, for better or worse. Your opinions... um... are yours. If you decide to share them, a committee of your peers (anonymous and selected by me) will meet and let you know if they were welcome.

First question, coming soon, "Agree or Disagree - There is a proper role for government, but that role is much smaller then the role government plays at present."