Last September, I wrote a retrospective of my experiences on September 11, 2001. At the end of that piece, I promised a follow-up on the five years since that horrible day. As you all probably know, that piece never arrived.
There are many excuses or reasons I can put forth. I probably could hide behind the fact that I moved 1/3 of the way across the country and started a new job. However, the new job didn’t really lessen my ability to write. I only work 40 hours a week, and there are many hours of the work day in which I have time to write.
Another excuse could be my typical lack of effort and tendency to abandon things I start. Although more accurate, this really isn’t the reason at all. Between the Vermilion Expat and Quo Vadimus, I have managed to post material, and continue to do so to this day.
Closer to the mark is my general disinclination to discuss politics or religion, outside of a few friends and family members in my “inner circle”. I like to keep things polite and pleasant when engaged in conversation with people. Politics and Religion are two intensely personal things, and can inflame passions quicker than almost any other topic.
Unfortunately, removing politics and religion from my writing and conversations removes like 50% of what I think about on a daily basis. Those who know me know I can be very quiet, sometimes going hours without saying much of anything. My desire to keep things polite is one reason I don’t converse much. Only if I know where someone stands, and am comfortable enough revealing where I stand, will I engage in conversation on these perilous topics.
Thus it is my desire to keep Quo Vadimus focused on sports, entertainment, and other lesser topics. Although these topics can inflame passions and create arguments, the arguments are usually good-natured and/or short-lived. Without debate on who the best hitter in baseball is (Ted Williams), or what team is the greatest Super Bowl champion of all time (85 Bears), sports wouldn’t be as interesting or fun, and we would have little reason to follow it.
However, I feel that I really want to let my feelings and thoughts on be made aware, and to generate debate in these most contentious areas. I have many things I want to get off my chest, and I would like to entertain the thoughts of others on these issues.
From this idea sprung forth August Prairie. Here, the impolite topics are now open to discussion, and no view will be turned away. You may not agree with me on what I have to say, and I may not agree with you. That is okay, because debate is good, as long as it is civil, informed, and free of cheap shots.
That isn’t to say it won’t be heated. One cannot be passionate about their beliefs, unless one is willing to defend those beliefs intensely. However, that heat must be controlled, or the debate will descend into a world of flame wars and pointless bickering In other words, the debate would be nothing more than what passes as discussion on most of cable news.
Therefore, I welcome you to August Prairie, and hope you’ll stick around and join the discussion. I’ll be posting some things soon, including the long-awaited follow-up to the 9/11 post. Also forthcoming is my endorsement for the 2008 election.
P.S. I am looking for additional contributors to August Prairie. If you want to get involved, let me know.
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