So, Here I Am

As I sit up straight at my desk, listening to a “Productive Morning” playlist on Spotify, a light therapy lamp blasting at my face, fingers anxiously waiting to type something entertaining enough for you, or any other reader, to be interested enough to continue reading, there’s one word that weights on me.  One word that makes the next sentence more difficult to write that it should be. 

Meaningful.

I just want to write something meaningful.

You (talking to myself now) have been growing, and working, and stressing out and educating yourself, and gaining experience and knowledge to get to the point where you can write something…meaningful.  You’re passionate about the subjects you want to write about.  You think about this stuff every day and everyone who knows you knows that you can’t not talk about this stuff.  They’re patient with you constantly talking about it, but you know that your focus, interests and skills could be better served to an audience of people that aren’t your friends trying to simply have a beer or sit around a camp fire and chill.

So, here I am.

Hoping to give you (talking to you, or any other reader, now) something meaningful.

There are things that consume much of my thoughts and add a weight to my consciousness.  This isn’t necessarily a negative thing, but I certainly need to figure out what to do with it all.

So, here I am.

The state of the world is a bit chaotic.  From my perspective, as a straight, white American male living in the liberal bubble of Portland, Oregon, there are things that aught to change, and they aught to change sooner than later.  These are things of the human condition, which is the most important condition I know about, and is the only condition that I can relate to.  So, I’m feeling protective of it.

So, here I am.

And whether it has to do with politics or religion or cults or conspiracy theories or climate change or a pandemic or equality or media literacy or homelessness or immigration or education or automation or the experience of tasting street food in a city that has very little resemblance to where we call home, it’s my hope that I can contribute something meaningful to the vast world of meaningful discussions.  

For starters, I believe that we all need to humble ourselves a bit.  Swallow our pride.  Be just as comfortable saying “I don’t know” (if not more comfortable) than we are spewing our opinions as if they’re somehow so important that they override the experience of others.  That just because we feel something, it supersedes facts and logic.  That because we confidently believe in something that that strong belief somehow makes that thing more true.  Our world is plagued with pride, and that pride, combined with a ridiculously unwarranted level of confidence, is exactly what we’re being sold by the pundits and media outlets who have the most to gain from giving us that boost of confidence that we can only get by continuing to tune in to…fill in the blank.

So, here I am.  Attempting to give you, or any other reader, something meaningful