Friends,
Reading around the blogosphere, I found this Skeptic blog.
I did NOT read every word.
But, I read the point he was trying to make. And I HOPE I render his point better than he did.
We often mistake skepticism for angry antagonism. And we often mistake faith in a political argument as blind faith, or delusion.
The truth is simple. Some people will never be convinced. Other people will always believe in their “last great hope to save mankind.”
But, I think most of us are in the middle.
I do not mind having my mind changed. But, I have begun to realize that most of what people try to change about our opinions are truly fads. And fads come and go. And at the end of all fads, you are left with people trying to justify what they thought was “so in fashion.”
Do you remember “bell-bottoms?”
Do you remember “paisleys?”
Some one made a lot of money pushing those ‘fads.’ But, I still think they were disgusting! Not because they looked disgusting. That is a matter of taste, and your taste should be different from mine. And an occasional paisley is attractive.
But, when the ONLY thing you can buy are bell-bottoms, it is DISGUSTING. One-size does NOT fit all.
And that is why I think I am a skeptic. A genuine skeptic, not the modern misunderstanding of what skepticism is.
I do not change my belief just because someone tells me, “This is great! You should try it.”
I do not eat sardines, anchovies, herring, body parts, papaya, figs (*), there are a couple of rare fruits and veggies I do not like, but they are rare enough, I don’t remember them off-hand.
And I don’t eat sushi if I do not know the chef – you should trust me on that one …. There is a reason Sushi-chefs are paid well ….
That does not make me close minded. It does not make me opinionated. It certainly does not make me wrong.
I am a skeptic.
I have learned that even well-meaning people are wrong when they think one size fits all. Every fad has losers. And most losers lose a lot of money.
A lot of money.
Was it P. T. Barnum who said, “A sucker is born every minute?”
I have begun to realize, he was right. And I would rather be a skeptic, than a loser of my money, my faith, or my love. And that applies to my politics as well as to my Religion.
There are too many people who feed upon other people. When that is business, there are usually economic results that help everyone. But in other areas, pond-slime is best left in the pond.
IMHO.
What do you think?
Are you a skeptic?
Wayne
(*) I really do like figs, I just think about the fig ‘bleeding’ when I eat it. So, I don’t eat figs. Papaya on the other hand, I leave the room when people cut them open.
luvsiesous 