Vivat Libertas

I have come to the conclusion that the terms "left" and "right" are so broad as to be meaningless. Half of you are probably rejoicing that I've finally seen the light, and the other half of you are probably wondering why I would say this. After all, one of the reasons we stick with these terms is that they provide some kind of way to group some ideologies together and differentiate others. My argument is that these labels don't even do that - and here's why. The classic idea is that the Left argues for big government, nanny states, and the rights of the oppressed; frequently they object to capitalism. They are unwilling to go to war, either. Meanwhile, the Right argues for a small state and the power of business, and is unafraid to bomb other countries to get what they want. I'm not even going to go into liberty, because it's become such a loaded and meaningless term that both sides could justify a claim and chances are neither would actual...

Why do I try to be a good person, even if I frequently fail? It's a question I frequently ask myself - but why should I be asking myself at all? Shouldn't I be secure in the knowledge that I am  trying? Is my questioning a sign that I'm a bad person? I don't know - but what I do know is that I question myself to find reasons for things, to help me understand myself a bit better and to clear up the murky waters of my mind. And I suppose I'm questioning myself, too, to prove something to myself - to prove that my motives are pure. Maybe I will succeed in that, maybe I won't. I don't know; this is mainly a thought exercise. I know what aren't  my motives, though... 1. I don't try to be a good person because I get off on the warm, fuzzy feelings.  Well, to be honest, I do  get off on the warm, fuzzy feelings I get when helping someone else out - but that's not my motive to be a good person. It's a nice...a nice side-effect, if you will, but...

Those who know me will know that, to keep myself in order and to let off steam, I frequently poke fun at, mock, and yell at the Right depending on my mood and how eloquent I feel. I don't really have much respect for it. Why not? Shouldn't I respect tradition? Didn't they come up with some good ideas? Nope. I cannot and will not respect an ideology, or loose collection of ideologies (names like Left and Right are hugely misleading and downright wrong, but easy to use and I generally take pot-shots at everything anyway), that is bigoted (witness the misogyny, racism, homophobia and xenophobia of, say, the Republicans) and appears to have no idea of what logic is (denying global warming and failing economics). I cannot respect an ideology that wants its presence in my uterus and presumes to tell me what to think and feel, then says it's providing me with greater liberty and shows this by privatising the fuck out of everything and removing my safety net. Ideologies sho...

At the risk of overloading people with a low tolerance for glurge , (for those who don't know, glurge refers to those sickeningly saccharine anecdotes and media tidbits with puppies, kittens, Jesus, inspirationally disadvantaged little kids and all sorts of other equally disgusting things), I'd like to link to the Paradoxical Commandments . As downright sentimental as it is, it's still just a tiny bit heartwarming...yes, I'm a big softie inside. The thing about the Paradoxical Commandments is that they're not actually that much of a paradox - they only look that way because most of the steps have been left out. People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered. [sic] Love them anyway. Yes, they're all of those things, but they're also rational, reasonable and altruistic. They help you through troubled times and they'll stand behind you when you really need them. John Donne once wrote that "no man is an island" - and although the quote...