I Have A Few Things That I Need To Get Of My Chest

 

This post has been a long time in the making. Updates on my blog have been far and few. I've taken a break from it because supporting this blog has been draining on me emotionally. What started as a recreational time killer to release steam has involved into a labor of love that has been exhausting to maintain at times. This has especially been true during the outbreak. The migration of the blog from Duda to Blogspot has also been very taxing as well (moving some 200 post isn't fun). Thus, after the migration, I haven't really been that keen on updating the blog. I've been busy with many real-life commitments that have also been all-consuming. To unwind, I’ve mostly been playing video games and working on my YouTube channel. The introvert part of me takes over on my off-time.

However, don't get the impression that I've forgotten about this blog. Their is a lot of content that I want to post. However, given that my blog is on a new platform, an opportunity has presented to clear up some misconceptions about who I am. In many ways, this shouldn't be necessary though. My blog existence to to reflect my hobbies, interest, and views. However, when some misconstrue who I am as a person, then an article like this is a must.

My blog isn't here to reflect the interest and views of others. If I just did what others expected me to do, then I might as well close shop and call it a day. The whole purpose of this blog is so I don’t have to go through some middleman or committee to seek approval for whatever I want to post. While insightful, level-headed disagreements is encourage, no one is in no position to determine and dictate whatever content I decide to post or not. If one is critical of my opinion because it doesn't conform to theirs, then they misunderstood the whole concept of a blogging. Whatever restraints that I exercise is out of courtesy, not out of demand.

I've been generally unhappy for the past couple of years due to various reasons. As such, this blog has been all important and essential to my mental health, especially during the outbreak. I would have been much angrier and depressed if not for this blog. As such, while I am open to insightful disagreement, I shouldn't have to defend the existence of this blog or my views to anybody.

Politics

I'm neither Conservative or Liberal. Their isn't a political party that represents my interest. I know for many who have simplified politics into an on/off switch, this will be hard to comprehend. This blog is very political. However, this blog isn't partisan. I’ve crapped on both Democrats and Conservatives alike throughout in the couple of years of its existence. Neither Biden nor Trump have escaped my fury. As such, if one is critical of the blog because it's quote "liberal", maybe the problem isn't me. Both parties are equally prone to corruption and consumed by their moral and ethical shortcomings Both parties have their faults and I don’t want anything to do with them, and I mean this too. I don’t make this statement and then contradict myself 20 minutes later by posting a Pro-Trump or Biden meme on my Facebook Timeline.

Politics isn't this grand, divine, and righteous battle between good and evil that is often misrepresented as such. If this part above sounds familiar, it's only because I've posted this statement countless times. Yet that haven't stopped several from try to categorize me into tidy compartments. I can’t be classified!

Relationships will become strained when political views is turned into a deciding factor of that relationship. Connections become frayed when politics become unquestioned doctrine. Blindness consumes those who worship their political views and turned politics into religion itself. Such actions cause many to become obstructed to their party's faults and failures. Also, I didn't know that one's character, reliability, and dependability is determined by their political affiliation. That's news to me. Never mind that humankind has existed thousands upon thousands of years before political parties became a thing and their are thousands of other factors that determines those attributes. Stupid me. 

I admit that I haven't been the most articulated or tactful in my responses. However, when such response is "I've been lead the wrong way", as if I've some misguided soul who simply lost his way and needs to be found again. This arrogant attitude is assumed by those who is consumed by horrible misplaced priorities about what’s important in life.

Lastly, if I feel this way, there is probably a reason behind it. I don't have time for melodramatic drivel.  

Conspiracy Theories

I base my opinions as much on objective fact as possible. However, these opinions have been as much molded by life's experiences as well. The things that I've witnessed within the church setting over the years and just being out and about have played a significant impact of that opinion. This includes my views about conspiracy theories.

I’m not the same person I was before the outbreak. I’ve become much more cynical and distrustful of people in general. After since the outbreak started, I quickly realized who took the virus seriously and who thought it was just silly nonsense. Conspiracy theories are all fun and games until people start dying from them. This is the case of the Covid outbreak. In this country, tens of thousands of people are dead because they believed in false claims that had no merit. While people embraced charged opinions, they were often misguided by false claims. Their are real-world consequences for embracing these false claims, especially in the Covid age. Thousands upon thousands are dead because they believed in false claims about the vaccine having microchips, baby fetuses, mercury, and other assorted crap, along with it manipulating DNA or messing up women's menstrual cycle, etc. Regardless of whatever one chooses to believe, the virus didn't show mercy.

People's distrust in traditional media is justified. However, their distrust have caused millions to embrace a source of news which was much more destructive than anything that they would have ever received from TV, newspaper, or magazine: social media. Their is no validation of information, and the wildest of claims becomes the gospel truth for those naïve enough to embrace it, regardless of it's validity. One's opinion becomes validated fact simply because they want it to be true, and nothing more. Over-charged emotions have caused many to become blind to their own judgment.

People's distrust in the government is also justified. However, the virus isn't going to discriminate between those who think that's its baloney or not. As I'm typing this, the new Delta variant of the virus is killing scores on unvaccinated people left and right.

People are entitled to their opinions. However, such opinions lack credibility when based on false claims. The person who refuses to get the vaccine will have to live with the consequences of their actions as the virus continues it rampage without mercy. Also, while I have a general personal distrust of major institutions, I'm not going to take to heart the words of raving crackpots living on Internet forums pretending to be experts either. I'm still going to base my opinions on the most accurate information available.

Religion

I don't know if most visitors to my blog know this, but sometimes I'm called to preach sermons at my local church when the preachers are out of town on select Sundays. As such, I've composed many messages over the years. It's typical for me to share those sermons on my blog after they have been delivered. The content on those sermons are usually based on observations witnessed within the church setting over the years. A such, I've become an observer to several disturbing trends. However, I continue, and I feel that its important to remain transparent (thus, post the sermon for all to read).

Along with the messages, I just do various other religious articles of interest. I do take a hostile tone against Fundamentalist and Televangelist who misuse God's word for profit and control. On the whole though, I feel that my religious content has a very pro-Christian and pro-spirituality aspect to it. Yet, despite me mentioning Jesus, and calling him my Lord and Savior, my content have been labeled "anti-Christian" (despite the fact) because it doesn't conform to the taste of either Fundamentalist or Red-State Evangelist (which I'm neither). It's degrading and insulting when such false claims by those who are so entrenched in their views that they think that anything outside of what their purview of what Christianity is isn't Christian at all.

Conclusion?

On the surface, it’s to represent my hobbies, interest, and views. The political content only makes up 1/3rd of my blog. Yet, it’s that 1/3rd of the blog that gets all the attention (why am I not surprised). Yet, there is a whole lot of me that extends outside of the political content. As such, when one punishes me because my opinion doesn’t conform to that of others, there are horribly misplaced priorities about what’s important in life. Why would would resort to something so petty when there is so much in life. This is another reason why I haven’t been active on my own blog recently (with the exception of the post). I’ve been busy with various real-life commitments that have kept me preoccupied. I don’t even have enough time for my own blog. Political views shouldn’t be used to determines one character. When one resorts to that, that self-evaluation becomes more important than ever.

This blog is going to continue. While my blog exist to share my hobbies, interest, and views among other like-minded individuals; it doesn't exist to be a reflection of other people’s interest. Their always room for insightful disagreement. However, this blog doesn't exist to reflect the views of relatives. This blog isn't anti-Christian, and I'm not a liberal either (at the end of the day, both parties are full of crap, and anyone who actually read my content would know that). Yet, if some think that I am these things, maybe I'm not the problem. Self-evaluations are always necessary (a daily trend in my case). Other need to do this as well. Also, I wasn't "brainwashed" by anybody. Does one have such a narrow perspective that they have to resort to a degrading assumption just because they perceive themselves as righteous. I have nothing to apologize for!

Am I angry as I’m typing this? Yes I am. However, I’m not going to let this anger consume me for the long run. I’m going to move on. In fact, I’m going to invite others with open arms! Grudges aren’t my thing. However, while their is room for disagreements, I'm not going to alter opinions just to make others happy (at the expense of my own). This is who I am and others will just have to accept it as is. Causing pointless stress about my content, especially to family members who have nothing to do with my blog, is a massive disservice that causes much more harm than good. I don’t forget things like that. However, I am open to forgive and let bygones be bygones. We become better people as a result, me included. Their are things far more important things in life than trivial crap like politics. Also, the main reason for the existence of the political content is so I don’t have to talk about it in real life. I can redirect them to my blog and read on their spare time so that instead of wasting precious time on a subject which is only going to cause contempt, one can spend time with loved ones while we still can. Their are things more important in life.

(BTW, This is the first original post under the new blog).