Disclaimer

If you don't already know me, it's important to understand that overall I'm a pretty laid back kind of guy. That is largely evidenced by the fact that no matter how serious or sacred the topic, I always try to find the humorous side of issues to keep things from getting overly serious (see previous post). That approach has not always worked in my favor, but nonetheless it's something that helps me keep the bigger picture in mind. I'm convinced that if you aren't able to make light of issues, or even yourself, then you'll find it much harder to enjoy life. And after all, who doesn't want to do that? (besides maybe Osama bin Laden--unless he just REALLY loves hide and seek)

On the other hand, if you've taken a look around you for any amount of time, you'll probably be able to see where I'm coming from when I say that the environment we live in today is not exactly as the "It's A Small World After All" exhibit at Disney portrays (I mean, the real world is waaay bigger). So, unless we're just going to ignore reality, which is already a fault of ours, just making light of our problems alone won't help any.

If we are to avoid the risk of settling on a life of dry humor to help us cope through existence with a jaded outlook, I say let's start learning from each other so we can begin to lean on each other. Sure, we've got problems and a million conflicting perspectives. But ironically, I would argue that's actually one of things that has historically led to our success as a nation.

Bottom line, my goal with this blog is not to just tell you about my life, my convictions, etc. Though I will talk about those things, my biggest goal is to encourage people. And my method of doing so is to hopefully inspire thought on a wide array of subjects--some low key/humorous topics, and others that are controversial. I'm convinced that if we can reason together with grace about complex issues that we don't agree on, all involved can learn something and be better people as a result.

If you decide to keep reading, I hope you will feel inspired to engage and weigh in with your thoughts as well. But do so recognizing that the goal is unity, not division. Besides, if your hindsight is as good as mine, average at best, then you should agree that's always a better plan.