So this month’s contribution hasn’t turned out the way I planned.
I have been working on a commentary on the Morrison Government’s more stupid policies. That is, the government’s collective thought bubbles that have turned into bad policy and bad legislation. Maybe another time.
Then the war broke out between Palestine and Israel. The fault of which I lay squarely at the feet of Joe Biden. I’d love to explain my thoughts, but that too will have to wait.
I’m sure that you’ve had times where you have so many thoughts running around in your head that it’s hard to make sense of it all. If you’re like me you sometimes struggle to make sense of other people’s actions and wonder what the thought process behind it was.
Well this is me. I hear news on the radio, see headlines pop up on my socials feed, and hear of things in conversation with others that have me scratching my head. Not only do we struggle to work out where other people are coming from and what they stand for, often it’s difficult to work out your own position on things.
A wise man once suggested that the best way to gain a better understanding of your own position is to write about it .He was right. Putting your thoughts onto paper (or a hard drive) has been a great way for me to get things straight. Also, looking for more information on things that you might not be clear about, including opposing ideas, is crucial to the expansion of your knowledge, opinions, and ultimately your actions.
The last few months I have contributed my thoughts to our community paper, The Ganmain Guardian.
These thoughts are what I've come up with after looking at a particular issue, tapping into info from several different sources.
To date, only one person has approached me to see if I was indeed the author. This person also said that he liked the article and encouraged me to do more. (Update: make that two people).
Then, last month, the Guardian’s editor was told about a post that appeared on social media which was quite the opposite, calling upon the Guardian to stop printing my articles. And that’s fine. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and everyone has the right to express that opinion. However, our editor Dezi has been copping some heat about it from some “keyboard warriors” who don’t like my brand of politics and philosophy. Which is a shame. Because that’s not what I was hoping to achieve.
I am disappointed that those that are offended by my writings have not offered an alternative opinion, nor expressed to Dezi exactly what they found offensive. Because that’s how we become stronger. If I’m wrong on something, tell me how. Then I consider your opinions, and that may just affect mine. That’s community. That’s the Westminster system of Government and Opposition. Dictatorships don’t work and eventually collapse. Democracies, for all of their faults, are the best social system that the world knows, bringing more freedom and wealth to more people every day. Because opposing ideas are thought about, spoken about, and thrashed out, until an (often) stronger compromise is reached.
I see Free Speech as one of the most important fundamentals of society. In order to think, you must speak. In order to refine or cement your thoughts, you must listen. I told our editor Dezi when I submitted my first contribution that it is not my intention to stir up trouble, and I certainly did not want to place her in the middle of any dispute that may arise. But that has happened, and to Dezi, I apologize. Some people do not want to hear ideas from outside their own world view, and that is their choice.
So, I will no longer contribute in this way to the Guardian. But I would love it if more people in our community would take the time to contribute in some way to the Guardian and keep our little community publication in print.
