Celebrating 100 Episodes of Self-Indulgence

Just a self-indulgent observation; it was exactly one year ago yesterday that I posted my first blog here as the Wormhole Repairman, and this post happens to be number 100, so it is relatively easy to calculate that I am posting at a rate of approximately 100 blog posts per year. This is by no means an extraordinary volume, but for me it represents a level of commitment I have seldom otherwise achieved and clearly demonstrates how greatly I value my own opinion; I actually took the time to write it down. Now, if anybody ever read it…

Speaking of my opinion, I recently ran across a Lenny Bruce quote which reads, “The Liberals can understand everything but people who don't understand them.” Being one of “the Liberals”, I can clearly relate to this observation. I am consistently confronted with the sentiments of my fellow citizens, concepts and conclusions that are equally as strongly held as my own, that make little sense to me. I have a great deal of juvenile fun ironically (some might even say, cleverly) maligning the assorted contradictions of Republicanism, Conservatism and Baptism, while there is perhaps an even stronger societal current maligning the ideas of people like me. Apparently I am some sort of a communist, socialist, American-hating sissy ignoramus. This comes as a great surprise to me after a life of formally and informally studying history and politics, three years of service in the American Army and an honorable discharge, voting in every available election from President to dog-catcher, and actually paying my taxes without discernable cheating.

Now these things don’t necessarily make me a messiah or a genius, but I should at least get some credit for being a reasonably useful member of society and law abiding citizen. This is what sort of troubles me; I love to poke fun at what I believe to be the intellectual and moral failures of others, but ultimately I realize that I am subject to the same defects and cannot equitably take myself too seriously. While I may decry the stupidity of, for example, George Bush, I would without a doubt, in the great tradition of Harold and Kumar, split a case of Bud with him and make every effort to talk about subjects other than my low opinion of his intellect. In fact, I concede I could even form a greater appreciation for the man as an individual, outside of his role as political avatar. Of course, I might also get drunk and try to beat him senseless, but he has Secret Service protection. I do not get the same sense of tolerant equity from many of my angry Conservative friends.

If you are willing to accept the complexity and ambiguity of human morality and the factual uncertainty of many of the conditions and circumstances of life, you have to accept the possibility of your own error. This is what makes much religion and many “isms” so attractive; they remove the murky fog of self-doubt from the equation and allow one to earnestly pound one’s fist with absolute conviction. The effect of this can be seen in the shallow depth of political discourse in this country and the righteous indignation of so many citizens. Unfortunately, absolute conviction allows for a host of other things that may not be completely positive. A little self-doubt can be a powerful force for moderation, which is only a problem if you are not a moderate.

As many of our prominent theological leaders have observed throughout history, it is very easy to criticize others. As I recall, there are even a number of Biblical admonitions to consider your own shortcomings before finding fault with others, but the emotional intoxication of absolute certainty and the accompanying buzz of moral and intellectual superiority are irresistible to many. Of course, I clearly believe that my view of the world is the most morally and intellectually valid, that’s why it is my view, and I’m certainly not shy about telling anyone who will stand still long enough what I think about virtually anything, but the reality is that I am just one of well over six billion people on this planet and my understanding of anything is limited by my innate intellectual ability and my acquired knowledge and experience. It is also limited by my desire to continue learning and understanding and the extent to which I have already decided that I know all I need to know. Like so many of life’s paradoxes, the more certain we are that we are completely correct, the more probable it is that we are completely wrong.