Let's Talk About Why I'm Back

I'd like to dedicate today's post to a discussion about why I'm once again writing my blog.  Before I do that though, I'd like to go back to the beginning, and talk about why I started in the first place.  If you look, you'll see that my blog goes back to 2005, which means I started over 20 years ago.

When I started, blogging was a reasonably established way to publicly write, and to directly engage with readers.  MySpace was the big social media platform of the day, and Facebook was in its infancy.  I originally envisioned this space as a pseudo-diary, where I could share my thoughts and interact with like-minded, intellectually curious and socially aware individuals.  I secretly held the delusion that my ideas, thoughts and words were somehow enough... that my words were uniquely profound, and if I were to publicly share them, I would magically rise to my deserved level of notoriety.  This statement is, of course, a bit of hyperbole, but it's not completely inaccurate if I'm honest with myself.

Time passed, and reality settled in as it always does.  I didn't become famous.  However, I found a small but relatively tight-knit group of fellow bloggers, and we fed off of one another.  Some of us had never met in the real world, but I knew enough about them that I cared about their well-being, and I believe they cared about me.  I continued writing because I enjoyed the creative process.  I started a personal journal in 1995, and moving to a blog seemed like a natural progression.  It allowed me to share my intimate thoughts and feelings with a select few people.  I still kept the journal, and I still write in my journal to this day, but my original scope and aspirations changed based on the reality of life.

Then came Facebook.  I skipped out on MySpace because that platform was really geared toward teeny-boppers.  Facebook was a different animal, because it wasn't about flashy backgrounds, ugly fonts, and over-the-top attention-seeking.  It was about social contact.  I found myself posting on Facebook because I had a group of individuals who seemed to care about me, and I cared about them.  This blog was not abandoned, but my posts certainly cratered.

Of course, we all know what happened with Facebook.  It's now turned into a toxic cesspool, an ugly reflection of our society at large.  There's no room for nuance, and there's no room for discussion.  One person makes their point with a pithy meme, and people love or hate it, and those of us in the middle are excoriated by people on both sides.  Most of the anger and vitriol are due to political tribalism.  Democrats think I'm a Nazi, and Republicans think I'm a hippie.  I haven't deleted my Facebook account primarily because I have a select few people I really enjoy interacting with.  By and large though, I spend a few minutes a day there, and that's it.  I can't tolerate more.

That brings me to today.  This blog allows me to say things I feel that need to be said publicly, while allowing me a low level of readership, the space to discuss nuances, and the anonymity to share my thoughts without the vitriol of modern social media.

You will notice that my recent posts are highly political.  You will likely notice as well that they're not in support of the current administration.  I will freely admit that I do not support the Trump administration.  He behaves like a spoiled rich kid.  He claims that he's smarter than he is.  He lies more than he speaks truth.  He bullies those who don't fall in line with his topic of the day, while simultaneously being unable to tolerate truth to power.  I can't just sit in silence.  I have to speak.

As I say this, please understand that I also believe that his political opposition is just as bad.  I'm back because I am angry at the system as it exists today, and I cannot remain silent.  However, I don't have the stomach for those who are unable to consider positions outside of their insulated echo chambers.  I need to speak, even though my words will likely be unobserved by the world at large.  I stand like a man alone in the desert.  I know I will not be heard, yet I cannot remain silent.  I find it objectionable to be shut down by the partisan masses.  I would rather speak where none hear my cries than to be stoned by partisan idiots.  This is my soap box in the wilderness.

I hope and expect that one day I can get back to sharing mundane thoughts.  I also anticipate that I will share those thoughts here, because social media has failed as a forum for advancing human connectivity.  But for now, I'm going to focus on political stuff, because it's the one place where I can do so without being excoriated by everyone around me.