Inspiration

When I woke up today, I never considered writing in this blog. In fact, my goal was housework and sitting on my behind watching episodes of "Dexter" I got from Netflix. Then, I got some inspiration. First, my sister complimented my writing, which was nice to hear (thanks Arica). Second, I got Chinese food for dinner and I got a great fortune -- "The clash of ideas is the sound of freedom." That was just the inspiration I needed to start writing.

When I was in college the first time around, I was a passionate advocate of sharing opinions to the point that I was likely to share opinions even when others didn't care what I had to say. I felt that was freedom of speech. Now, I look at things differently. I support the right of others to say what they want, even if I deeply disagree with what they say. I am just not as ready to share my opinion with every Tom, Dick or Harriet out there. I am more guarded with my opinions and more cautious about who I share those opinions with. Not only do I not share my opinions as often, but the opinions themselves seem to be more guarded. I tend to see both sides of the issue more often than I feel solely connected to one side of the issue. When I was younger, I was rabidly liberal, now I am more moderate.

Which brings me back to the fortune cookie -- "The clash of ideas is the sound of freedom." I think there is some real truth to this. I think everyone agreeing all of the time is the farthest thing from freedom. I am just not sure if the clash is necessary. We can disagree and be civil to one another. I think that is a message that others should pass on.