A New Beginning...at Some Point

How was your Thanksgiving? Dinner-wise, I'm not sure that mine was widely different from everyone else's, but I'm pretty sure that a large portion of you weren't sitting in shorts in t-shirts (at least not without your beer-coat on).

So, those of you who have been reading this stupid blog for the last few months probably have realized that I've been struggling with its exactly what to do with it. Granted, the 14-hour workdays I've been immersed in haven't exactly provided me with the proper inspiration needed to write, but my time away has essentially forced me to get back to a place where I've become more of a listener and observer, than some kind of opinion former.

I'm sure there is some kind of wise proverb, or catch-phrase that illustrates this wisdom, such as: "You've been given two ears and one mouth, so you should do twice the amount of listening than talking." However, I'm not really buying that as someone who expresses himself through two mediums whose output requires the dexterity of his ten fingers. Astute observers would probably agree that I'm missing the effin' point, but if I am going to make a proper illustration, I should probably find something that fits a little better, but that's a non-sequitur for another time.

For the past six months I've been watching human interaction carefully, and scales have fallen from my eyes. Whether it has been watching the interaction of mating rituals in bars, observing six co-workers interact at work, or reading the multitude of blogs that have now hit the mainstream, and have found that with fascinating regularity, people generally telegraph their intentions, desires and needs with the subtlety of a wolverine stumbling upon a dead moose.

Partly, this is a result of a recently adopted virtue in our culture of "keeping it real." The process flow goes something like this:

Interaction with the real world --> you think (biologically) --> you emote --> you react

Emotions and reactions tend to vary depending on the nature of the person involved. But, against what I think conventional thinking manifests itself as, strong emotional reactions are not necessarily indicative of self-control. The lack of predictability is. By nature, one may be very mild-mannered, and still be read like a book before they utter a single syllable (or type a word). Indeed, self-control may play itself out in a very well placed, emotional pop that acheives the desired effect of the one delivering it.

Now, there is a gray area here that is very, very difficult to explain. I hate generalities, and people in particular are very complex in their individuality, but if you can find the basis of their thinking and hone in on it, you can alter various elements withing social situations, and watch as people tend to follow a much more predictable pattern than if the scenario was freely open. Maybe, as Borat found, social pressures are just so strong, that people tend to react in certain ways if they are forced down a certain path, maybe even down paths they necessarily don't want to go down.

So what does this have to with this stupid blog?

It is pretty clear from anyone whose read this blog, that my politics tend to fall center-right. Mostly, my interest in politics comes from a passion for history, but recently, has been a passion for winning the war. I am completely unapologetic in my support for it, and continue to hope within a dwindling minority that we finally get this damn thing right.

Despite this, often-times, from my friends who share my political bent, I get a look of complete confusion when I tell them how much I love living in San Francisco, and that, gulp, I actually have some friends who have a very leftist ideology whom I find to be some of the greatest people in the world. At the same time, my friends in SF tend to make the same generalizations in the same direction. Often times they are shocked when they hear me talk about politics (which is hardly ever), as their preconceptions of what "those people" are like are totally destroyed.

But, rather annoyingly, I've found that since I share a kindred tendancy of some things politically with some people, those that find my politics in common falsely assume that I share the same vigor about beating al-Qaeda as I do about abortion or gay marriage, or various other domestic issues. I think this is a peril of being a pundit though; you just have to argue points with the same passion in order to "be taken seriously" now-a-days, where-as I find that to be, well, predictable.

And for me, domestic politics completely bore me. It is not that I don't have an opinion about them, it is just that my energy-level depletes rapidly in this two-dimensional world of passion and opinion. But, I find that there is a lot of room for compromise here, regardless of what I think might work best. I love efficiency, but if there is anything that history has taught me, is that people don't tend to get along very well, and life can be a very long slog if you can't live with some things that eventually won't break your way.

This effectively renders political blogging useless for me. There is no audience for what I don't have to say.

So, as far as politics are concerned, I am shutting this place down for the most part. But, since I do have a passion for writing, I am thinking of turning this place into writing about things I really care about: adventure, exploration, life, observations of human nature. There is a whole life that I live that you haven't seen in these pixles that I intentionally live everyday, and I am finding that this site is, for the most part, anathema to that. My lot in life is not to be a pundit.

Maybe a site redesign is in good order now. The whole "Ten Fingers 6 Strings" is kind of meaningless considering that in a 2 years I have yet to put up a single note of music. That makes me feel like a charlatan.

I'm not going anywhere. Unfortunately for you, this is just an opportunity to open the door to something more, something I'm much better and more passionate about. But whatever it ends up being, I guarantee it will be ignored by Instapundit.

Cheers!

Posted by 10 fingers 6 strings at November 27, 2006 04:10 AM | TrackBack