Toes in the Water

Where to start? Well somewhere is the best answer and then see where it goes from there. I won't waste your time with the background details -- those are set out in the profile anyway -- but instead why not head into a why comment. Why write a blog? In general I think that most opinions are not worth sharing and that the internet has only made that more true as there is a clamour of voices sending forth whatever thought may perculate to the top of the head (or the tips of their fingers) without further ado merely adding to the great pile of meaningless verbiage already existing out there in the ether.

But on thinking of this general thought further I realize that I am devaluing the public square with its difficult and messy means of creating the spirit of our times. Worse yet, it seems to cede the public square to others and leave my views to be advanced only if by some lucky coincidence there is someone else out there willing to advance them.

So what are my views? An inconsistent hodgepodge that come out of a combination of practical experience, impractical thought, work, hobbies, reading and generally engaging with the world in a number of different venues. Hardly suitable or interesting enough to be revealed all at once or even in any systematic exposition (see meaningless verbiage above) I will jot them down as seems fit either on my own initiative or as prt of some of the larger debates that swirl around.

In general though, my thoughts are fed by a rejection of superstition (despite the horoscope entries that have shown up above), a commitment to dialogue, a demand for analysis and a tolerance for failure (I know I will never live up to my own standards). My beliefs include a belief in Canada as nation (that is more than a grab bag of provincial principalities) that is yet uncomfortable with the idea of that nation being driven by nationalism. I also believe in a very rough and ready form of pragmatism that holds that if your theories don't work on the ground then you adjust the theory to explain the facts, not ignore the facts to feed the theory.