The Duty of Free Speech

I saw in the news today that one person bit off another's finger during a debate on the nationalization of healthcare.  That's disappointing.  However, I am a big fan of lively and spirited debate.  I always enjoy participating in a passionate discussion on an issue with someone who holds a opinion very different than my own.  It's even more enjoyable when that other person has expended some effort in becoming educated on the issue.  This happened to me last night when I called my brother, Jared, to wish him a happy birthday.

These kinds of discussions help me to sharpen and refine my own thinking.  I remember when protests against the war in Iraq were characterized as "un-American speech" (as if there were such a thing).  Now, I see protests against the nationalization of health care characterized as "attacks against our president."  Nonsense.  Read what smart people on both sides have to say (there are smart people on both sides), and then open your mouth.  I think the right to Free Speech is more like a duty of Free Speech.

Warriors

I have a great respect for warriors, probably because they make up a great deal of my family history. My father was a warrior in the Air Force for twenty-six years, and he still is a great warrior. My older brother was also in the Air Force. Both of my grandfathers fought in WWII. Many of my great-grandfathers were in involved in WWI. I remember, as a young man, my mother told me that I would likely be involved in some great conflict, just like my fathers before me.

So far, I have not had to go to war. Of course, I fight traffic, and ignorance, my waist-line and personal battles with the natural man inside me. But, I've never been called upon to shed blood in defense of family, liberty or country. Most of my generation has also avoided such conflict. We send a few brave men and women out to fight on our behalf, but the great many of us stay at home and learn of the war's progress through edited television blurbs.


What if war does come? Will we be caught unprepared because of so many years of ease and perceived peace? Or, would we rise with courage and strength as a united people to meet the challenge, like those great generations before us?

Great

Fear-mongering has become a very popular tactic in modern political discourse.  You don't have to listen very long before you hear one party being accused of having a secret agenda to enslave the other.  Or, you hear that a rich class is using all of its power and influence to keep another group poor and helpless.  They're taking away your rights!  They're taking away your property!  Vote for me, vote for me.

In the Science of Being Great, Wallace D. Wattles said that "you can never become a great man or woman until you have overcome anxiety, worry, and fear. It is impossible for an anxious person, a worried one, or a fearful one to perceive truth; all things are distorted and thrown out of their proper relations by such mental states, and those who are in them cannot read the thoughts of God."

Now, more that ever, the world needs great men and women.  Now is the time to rise up above the din, and above the dust.  Now is the time to be great, and, in a great way, to show others the path to greatness.

The Great Divides

I have some pretty strongly held opinions about things.  If you look at my blog posts from several months ago, you will have a pretty good idea of which way I slant in terms of political and economic debate.  I have read a lot about politics and economics.  And, I have engaged in a lot of debate, and spent a lot of time thinking about those topics.  I say that to reasure you that my opinions are not thoughtlessly or casually held.

But, isn't it interesting that other people, people who appear to be of normal intelligence and average ability, much like myself, can hold opinions or belief systems totally different than mine.  And in many cases, not just totally different, but completely the opposite of mine.  For instance, I just finnished listening to President Obama's book, "The Audacity of Hope."  I enjoyed the stories he told about his life, they helped me understand him better.  However, I found myself disagreeing with every political and economic argument he made.  I just think he is plain wrong.  But, he, and many others, think that he is right on.

I don't think that we have dealt with this issue very well as a country over the last many years.  There are too many people living here to expect that we will all see things the same way.  There is no need make somebody your enemy, just because they have different political, economic, or even religous idea than you have. 

Think

Back in 1968, Aretha Franklin released her hit single, "Think", and it became a chart topping success.  I first saw and heard it performed during the movie "The Blues Brothers."  It's been a long time since I saw the movie, but it came back to my mind today as I thought about thinking.

This is the Information Age.  We are up to our necks in information.  The internet is like a firehose, gushing an inexhaustable supply of information into our minds faster than we can process it.  But, what are we doing with all that information?  What is the purpose in all our getting?  Is it really just a case of us “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” ? – 2 Timothy 3:7

I do a lot of learning, reading, and listening, it's my job.  But it's much more difficult to take on the work of thinking, not just letting the information wash over you, but evaluating the information, and then rejecting it, or making it your own. Taking a few minutes a day to think deeply may be one of the best things we can do during our day.  Think about your role as a husband and father, or wife and mother.  Think about your religious and political views.  Think about your life, and begin to live deliberately.  Thinking is perhaps the hardest work that people can do, but it may also be the most rewarding.  Think!

Good, Better, Best

In October, 2007, Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a talk in LDS General Conference entitled Good, Better, Best. It's been a while since I read it, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately. There is so much to do. I am so busy all the time, and I'm sure most folks are. There are so many good activities to be a part of, and so much good and interesting information to be consumed. How am I supposed to have time for it all. The short answer is, I'm not. In his talk, Oaks says that more information is created in one minute on the internet, than one person could consume in a lifetime. There just isn't time for it all.

If so, "better" and "good" are not good enough. My time here on earth is finite, and comparably short. And, this world has so many of the best things to offer. An honest evaluation tells me that there is probably not even enough time for all of the best things. If that is the case, why should I be spending my time on anything but the best things?

I suppose that the most difficult work, then, is to quickly and correctly identify the best things, and then to spend my time engaging in only those activities.

Information Fast

Back in April, I read "The Four Hour Work Week", an interesting book that really changed the way I see the world. On the author's recommendation, I decided to go on an information fast. I stopped listening to talk radio. I stopped reading Drudge. I even stopped looking at the FEE and CATO websites. I must say that eliminating these things brought me a great deal of peace, and I hope, a little clarity. The world hasn't stopped turning. Some fascist government hasn't taken over the United States. I still have U.S. Dollars in my pocket.

So, I stopped writing, because I stopped reading. But, because of the encouragement of friends and family, I have decided to start writing again. And, I am starting to let a little more media back into my life. However, my posts will likely be quite a bit different than they were. I may still write about economics and politics sometimes , but that won't be the main focus of the blog. Again, on the advice of those close to me, I plan to spend more time actually writing my thoughts and ideas, and less time linking to the ideas of others. I hope to provide a little perspective, peace and clarity. Let me know how I'm doing.