Thursday, October 13, 2005

The Tone of 'The Atavist'

A woman I know, once commented to me that my posts were very personal. She seemed surprised that I would expose things about myself in this medium. I guess there is some truth to her perception. I do write about things that mean something to me and that touch my life in some way.

I don't really give away much, though. The things I write about are the things we all experience: personal frustrations, large and small, with the world around us or, sometimes things that give me hope about the future of our race and the globe we inhabit. I don't kiss and tell. I honour the privacy of others I interact with. I try to treat other people the way I would like to be treated.

I write about an imperfect world, from the perspective of an imperfect person. I have made many mistakes in my life but refuse to beat myself up over them. I do try to learn from them, though. I also try to apply personal lessons to larger contexts. If it is wrong for an individual to steal from me or harm me in any way, then it follows that it is also wrong for a group to steal from me or harm me in any way. That also applies if the group is a government or an agency of any level of government. Too many of us believe that because it is elected, government action is somehow always right and proper. It just ain't so, folks.

I don't often comment on specific news items because there are already so many other bloggers doing that. Why add to the cacophony? I never comment on sports events because, frankly, I know nothing about team sports. I only comment on things that tick me off, puzzle me, please me or, occasionally, scare the bejeebers out of me.

Yes, this is a very personal blog. I am glad to have an occasional reader and am pleased that I actually have something to say that a few people find interesting. I certainly enjoy the moments every day that I can spare to read posts by other bloggers. If you drop in here at The Atavist and like what you see, let me know who you are, with the URL of your own blog, and I will be happy to add you to my blogroll.

5 comments:

  1. That's precisely what makes the Atavist such an invaluable blog. No talking head here — when you do write about politics or what's going on in the news, it's apparent how it affects people, not just the swirl of ideological or proclamatory voices in bloggers' heads.

    By the way, when are you going to run for city councillor?

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  2. Thanks, Mapmaster. I actually ran federally once, in the East London riding when I was leader of the Libertarian Party of Canada in 1974. Result? I got 73 votes. I don't think the world is ready for me in any elected capacity, even locally. Besides, I'm a hermit. I only come out of my cave occasionally, as I will at the coming Freedom Party dinner here in London. Should you happen to be there, maybe we'll get to meet. I'll be the shy guy cowering in a corner somewhere.

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  3. I had no idea you were the leader of the Libertarian Party of Canada! I'm impressed. That said, I think local politics is the way to go for libertarians — you don't have to run under the handicap of a party affiliation, just common sense defense of people's property and taxes. Not to mention that pretty important differences can be made — negatively and positively both — at the local level. And after all, Paul Van Meerbergen got elected to council, and although I'm not sure that he is exactly a libertarian, his writings and voting have been fairly consistent with libertarian principles. I'm thinking of giving it a go next time around myself…

    I would have been happy to go to the FP dinner — and even more so after finding out that you'll be there — but unfortunately I will be moving that weekend and I don't think I'll have the time. Maybe some other time. Mike, however, may be going and I'll tell him to look out for you if he does.

    Best regards,
    MapMaster

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