This Blog is to Fix a Very Important Problem · 5:50pm Jan 12th, 2021
Being that I previously had 139 blogs, which is a very unpleasant prime number, and now have 140 blogs, which is a nice, small-prime composite number.
This is also to clear the air, a little. I don't like arguing. I partake in it a lot, but it's very unpleasant. I will not deny that there's a certain, brief "high" associated with it, akin to riding a rollercoaster... but I've never liked rollercoasters, either. I don't like the feeling of being in danger, which is what that thrill thrill-seekers seek really is: Your body's "You're in danger!" warning system.
So... Why argue, then? To put it simply: Because I don't like falsehoods. It really is that simple. I don't argue to push some agenda or goal, or to annoy people, or to seek out the thrill of danger (I can get that by just thinking about job interviews). I argue because I genuinely think what somebody has said is wrong, and I wish to correct the record. It's... repeatedly fascinating to me, and somewhat depressing, that this is such an uncommon motivation for most people that it doesn't even register as a possibility. "Of course Narrative is pursuing some agenda," people think, "that's why people argue, after all; I know I never argue out of sincere dedication to truth, so why would they?"
It really weighs on me. Is advocating truth worth it, if so few people care in the first place? I think adherence to truth and reason would make the world a better place in numerous ways large and small... but at a certain point, the "lead a horse to water" metaphor becomes pertinent. I can't force people to drink from the spring of truth, and a whole lot of people actively don't want to be anywhere near it. So where does that leave me? Truth can suck, so it's not appealing as an emotional assurance. Truth can be complicated and uncertain, so it's not attractive to the people who want simple answers. Truth can require a fair amount of effort to get at, which doesn't go down well with those who prefer the path of least resistance. The only thing truth has going for it is that it's true. And that just... doesn't seem to be enough.
Heh, I said this was to "clear the air", and here I've gone and talked myself into a funk. So it goes.
