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 |   Exploring the future through the present. One day at a time. |
| There was a time not to long ago—in actual years, but an age in internet time—when people could write whatever they wanted without having to worry about being “canceled.” Reamed by others for silly opining, sure. That comes with the territory when posting something for all to see and comment on. Even though few read either this blog or my other one, I still can’t stop from self-censoring. I continue to be tempted to write weak entries that won’t offend others. Yet when I stop and think about those I read and enjoy, none of them hold back or seem to worry about who might try to silence them. And when I look back at which of my own posts received the most praise—or at least the most interaction—they’re invariably the ones where I let my thoughts fly, damn the consequences. No one remembers or respects those who hide within the crowd. They do remember and respect those who stood up, even if they disagree with what that person is (literally or figuratively) standing for. So what do I fear writing about? Many things, mostly having to do with current events. My reticence is actually two-fold; only one is the fear of how it will be received. It’s more about what I wrote in my last entry on September 11. Anything I say about what’s going on in today’s world won’t be unique to what others are also saying. Mine is simply another voice in the choir. So unless I figure out a solo, anything I write nothing but one note in the already deafening harmony (or discordant melody, depending). Another excuse I tend to use is the energy involved with stating my case even further when someone disagrees. Do I really want to take the time to defend myself? Sometimes I simply don’t have the will or desire to argue or debate. Maybe it’s my age showing… |
| Right now the internet is abuzz with personal remembrances of 9/11 twenty years ago. I’m usually not one who goes with the crowds on any holidays (so-called). Maybe it’s due to my natural tendency to avoid what the majority is doing. Why add my voice to similar voices when it’ll only get lost in the multitude? After all, my experience that day isn’t much different from most everyone else’s. The shock, the disbelief, the heart-stopping realization that our world isn’t safe and that we had enemies willing to kill themselves in order to kill us. Yet we also tend to forget when life returns to normal—or at least adapting to incremental changes in our day-to-day lives so adeptly we still call it “normal.” For instance, twenty years ago, we didn’t have to arrive at the airport a minimum of two hours before the flight for the privilege of figuratively (and sometimes literally) stripping down before stepping foot on a plane. Now it’s simply a part of our “normal.” We stepped (and often willingly) into a world where everyone is assumed to want to harm others, and we must prove through metal detectors, x-ray machines, and secret courts that we have no such intention. We’ve decided to distrust others until they prove themselves otherwise. The whole issue with the thing-that-shall-not-be named going on today has taken that distrust even further. What other freedoms and liberties have we lost or willingly relinquished in the last twenty years and have convinced ourselves we no longer want or need? And how many others will we give up in the next twenty? I honestly shudder to think… |
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