To All My Friends

And all of you who have any interest in what I have to say, you would do well to heed this also.

The following note is not an expository essay on my beliefs for your sake. It is not meant to be. For those of you who think differently, I apologize, but it does not matter to me what you think/hope/believe that I believe, or even what you feel/think/hope/believe about my particular beliefs. I am an individual, no matter how flawed, and I take extreme pride in this. I do not feel the need, nor will I ever feel it, to explain what I believe to a person simply so they can like me. If you think it is to my detriment, well, that is your opinion. To be blunt: I do not care. It is not an angry statement, it is a matter of fact; I live in the real world. I cannot judge you for anything you believe, as a) my beliefs have often turned complete 180's, b) it is not my place to say that the things you believe are false unless they Actually Are false (more on that later), and c) when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, if I am wrong, I am the one with his face rubbed in it. So it does not really matter what you think about it. This note is simply to make all of you understand where I stand, and to see that I hold absolutely no anger/resentment/frustration towards you. This is simply the way I am, and if you cannot understand it, then that is not my problem until you decide to make it my problem by forcing me to believe what you believe. Pure and simple facts here. I have been very forward here, and for those of you who read all the way through, hopefully you will understand where I come from and be able to better communicate with me in the future.

Those of you who do not care to... Your loss.

For my entire life, people have been telling me what to believe as well as telling me what they believe. I grew up in the New Milennium, and as a result we have a multitude of opinions trying to be crammed down the throats of society's participants. You could say that such developed a rebel nature in me (and you would not be entirely wrong) but it comes down to a really simple phrase my father used to tell me. "God gave you Two Eyes, Two Ears, and One Mouth for a reason." I quickly became an observer in life, not really participating in society, so to speak. I did not know what to think of society (other than that its participants were mostly wrong) and I have never, ever wanted to be a part of it beyond the friendships, communities, and places where I choose to involve myself. I see no need for it. I have not, in all my in-depth research, found a single solitary human icon whose words were not twisted and distorted by his followers to suit his purposes. Not one. We take what we want from history and leave the rest, it is just the way most philosophies in this short-sighted, limited world work. People in general are either unable or unwilling, by the virtue of their emotions, to accept something they do not want to hear. I have found very few who can (again, more on this in a moment). However, when I was younger, I was much of an idealist; those closest to me may still believe I am. I feel a need to correct this for the sake of principle. I am no longer an idealist, I am simply a realist. It would be quite nice to believe in the goodness of man and believe human society would lead itself to peace. It would be very pleasant to believe that higher powers will direct our actions and save us all and let us live in harmony. However, due to what I have seen and what I have come to believe, at this point I have no evidence for that, and much to the contrary. I am not interested in society as a whole, nor the fate of man or where we are going. I am interested in my survival and the survival of those I care about. If this idea were held true by everyone, it would extend from me to everyone. It is not. Suffice it to say I am selfish. That is, I think of myself. I think of myself as the only hope for my own future, and my future depends on no other person besides those I choose to take with me. I wish that could be the entire human race... Sadly, it is not.

For those LDS friends of mine, let me make a clarification here. I understand that there is a Plan of Salvation. I truly believe it exists. ... I just do not believe it may exist in this world. And, from my research so far, it has never come directly from God (or any of his prophets) that it would all work out nicely In This Life. Read over the Scriptures; every one of them says that he who follows Heavenly Father will recieve his just place in heaven, and the rest will be cast away. We were given Agency for a reason, and whether it is our own undoing is our choice. I have seen no evidence, nor read any logical, sensical testimony, that God will intervene at the last moment. He who does not make the right choices and live the right way does so at his peril. If you wish to debate this, please do so, but bring me no scriptural references nor doctrinal testimonies. I believe in the Prophets and I believe in God, but I still believe that man, Whoever He Is, is fallible. With one single exception, every man is corruptible. No matter his station in life. Therefore, until it is revealed directly to me from On High that Jesus will ride in and save us all after the Anti-Christ comes in a thousand years, and that everything in the Scriptures is true, I will take it all as a personal belief of my own and not verifiable, solid fact. I will believe what I will believe, and so will everyone else. No one should try to force what they believe upon another, but we certainly should discuss it objectively.

Which brings us to our next subject: belief vs. fact. I have come to understand that there is only one way to discuss something for it to have any credibility: objectively. One positively cannot discuss a belief objectively, it is just not possible. In this, I have taken from science: if you wish to verify a hypothesis, you must be able to replicate the experiment. You must be able to prove what you believe in order to argue it. If you are right, and you can prove you are right, then I will accept it. If you are wrong, and I can prove you wrong, then you are wrong. Otherwise, you are a blind man discussing what a rainbow looks like. I do not spare feelings when it comes to factual arguments: I simply present the facts. The next point to discussing something is this: do not make an arguement based on what you feel. There are certain feelings, known as instincts, which are extremely useful. I know them well... It is my job to deal with people, and so many people operate on instinct. However, when we pass from instinct (a useful, evolutionary tool which developed before our cognitive brain in order to help us to survive) to emotion (those chemical reactions which we use to make ourselves feel comfortable in our environment), we pass from the realm of objectivity to subjectivity. And subjectivity is just that: subjective. To clarify, it means the way we interpret our world. Now, brief lesson: philosophy tells us it is a virtual impossibility to Not be subjective in almost everything we do, as we only ever see things from our own point of view. Let me clarify: this applies to beliefs, feelings, perspectives and desires. It does not apply to facts. Example, if you have a discussion with me about what you think God is, that is a subjective discussion. If you have a discussion with me about gravity, that is an objective discussion. I can prove gravity exists and prove its effects. Therefore, if we are having a discussion on something, give me only the facts. Do not give me feelings, or even references to feelings. I would go into facts, but suffice it to say that facts are not hypotheticals; they are something you can prove.

Unless otherwise specified, I only wish to discuss in the objective. Objective arguments are the only ones which can be verified. Unless I ask you or you ask me to have a subjective discussion, I will always, always be approaching the discussion from an objective point of view. There simply is no other way to develop oneself. After all, we live in a multifacted world. We can never understand even a small part of it if we are looking at it from one direction, through one lens, from one specific point of view.

As such, if you grow angry with what I have to say, if you feel I have wronged you in some way, or if you feel I am just plain wrong, know this: unless you can prove to me where I have judged you and not spoken fact, if you can prove to me that I am wrong, it really does not matter to me. Call it cold, cruel, and heartless... Call it what you want. I deal in what is. If try to construct a bridge between our philosophies with an argument, and that bridge is made of fairy dust and pixie sticks, you are wasting the time of both me and you. I want solid, steel girders with objective facts backing them up. Life, in its many forms, does not survive (or thrive) on belief and blind faith. It revolves around trust (which is faith in something you Know to be true) and the facts of reality. Do not argue feelings with me unless you state that it does not apply to the situation at hand. Be a human being and use your cognitve thought to shape the world around you. 

Conversely, it is not impossible to make me emotional. I am, after all, human. And I feel a great many things. These things, while backed up by logic, are just as strong as you feel. We are not alone here on this earth, and I truly believe no one understands that more than I. I see this world... and I see it tearing itself apart. As with all things in this life, it has two options: survive or die. It is painful for me, and I realize these times are perilous for all of us. However, it matters little. Planetary bodies will continue to revolve, things will continue to evlve, and so on and so forth. It is of no use to flail around like a dying fish, talk about the perils of your situation, and drown in your misery. I am emotional, yes. But pity is not an emotion I feel. This applies both to personal situations and the greater world condition. Please, please do not come to me if you expect me to pity you or your situation. Do not seek my audience if you just want to talk about the greater state of world affairs and curse those in charge. It Does Not Interest Me. I like to laugh, and I like to solve problems. Even if you see me yelling at the top of my lungs about problems, if you listen to the arguments I make, you can bet with certainty that I am trying to come up with soluions. I am a dependable man, and will be there on a moment's notice if even a complete stranger needs an ear to bend. But only if that person is truly looking to improve their situation, looking for advice, or looking for a way to bounce ideas. I deal with structure and capability. Call it harsh, but I hold everyone to the same standard: if you are looking for a constructive way to deal with the world, if you are feeling that you need to improve a situation (even if improving it means just talking about it to make you feel better and able to deal with the situation) I am your man. I am discreet, and I do not judge. However, if you want pity or attention or someone to feel sorry for you, I am not your man. In my short lifespan, I have been through... quite a bit. I will continue to go through even more. It is the way of things, and that will not change. I hold it over no one and I do not wear it on my sleeve. I simply use my experience to better myself and the things around me.

Where are we now... Ah yes.

I have freedoms. I intend to exercise those freedoms. I intend to exercise those freedoms up to and including any point where my freedoms inhibit another's actions without just cause. Example: if I chose to "exercise my freedom" and tell someone they are not allowed to speak because they are a lesser person than me, I am wrong. However, if I choose to put a murderer to jutice, I am right. People give up their freedoms when they encroach on other's freedoms without just cause, No Matter To What Degree. If you are going to try to guilt me into something you want me to do or tell me it is my "civic duty" I suggest you about face and stop talking. Guilt for things I Have Not done is not an emotion I am liable to be suseptible to, in any situation. I do nothing for the "common good" or the "common man" unless it improves the world I live in. I will be glad to help others; I get something from that. But I will never help others who do not help themselves. It is an injustice to the human race. I do not participate in causes which have no point, and I deal in reality. If a man has condemned himself, that is his fault. Only he can help pick himself up again, and if it is a lost cause, I am not going to try. If you call me a hypocrite, think for a moment: at least I am being honest. I no longer intend to hide behind a facade of helping the needy and the poor if they wish to use my help for a moment's pleasure. I will only lift up those who will push themselves up off the ground. I am not going to drag anyone, no matter who they are. It is not my problem, and it is certainly not my duty. Again, I am here and breathing to survive and get the most out of this life. I will make my choices as I see fit, with the best knowledge I can obtain. Anything less would be a crime against myself.

I want to make it clear: this is not my entire philosophy. Nor is it even close. This is just a reminder to all of the world in which we live. We deal only in facts; not to do so will get us killed. I strive constantly to be a just, honest man. However, if my views are a little obscure or if they do not coincide with yours, do not immediately discount them. I will not do that; as I said, I will listen to anyone who uses their brains. If you do not, and I shut you down, do not get angry; either I do not have the facts and am wrong, or you need to rethink your position. Just know that I make it my business to be as right as I can as often as I can. I do not let emotion interfere. If you can come to respect that, then we will progress forward. If not, again... Not my problem.

This will suffice for now.