Easter Monday – Gratitude for Freedom
Good morning, Digital Neighbors! Happy Monday and Blessed Easter Friends to all you good souls on Locals and Substack. Yesterday ended up being a catch-up day after Mass and brunch with my sister’s family. It was a great day to celebrate the joy of the Risen Lord. I caught up on some sleep and some of the issues I missed while away from the time drain that was my typical internet habit. I am sure I will return to some active consumption, hopefully with a more intentional attitude than I had before my Lenten media abstinence.
I caught up on some of the Douglas Murray – Dave Smith JRE and much of the debate that followed on it. I have read a couple of Douglas Murray books, and I watched many hours of his interviews and appreciate his common sense and insightful commentary. The internet, as divisive and drama driven as it I always is, seems to have fallen into the Dave Smith is dunce and Douglas is right or Murray is an elitist and credentialist who doesn’t believe in free speech.
I will still have to take some time before I have a more comprehensive understanding of this, but I tend to tilt towards free speech absolutism in the arena of public discourse and debate. I am a fan of self-determined groups deciding among themselves the degree of free speech that they want to share within their group. After all it is a voluntary group, and one is free to leave the group if you disagree. If you don’t have freedom of association then you have even bigger problems than lack of freedom of speech. *cough* *cough* All the proponents of groupthink and herd feel demand conformity of thought or silence of opinion.
I have added this clip from the Darkhorse Podcast which has always remained one of my favorites for honest and critical thought.
I think Brett and Heather are very fair minded in this clip. Can one admit they are ever wrong, mistaken or ignorant on a topic? Brett and Heather fall into the circle of based conversationalists like Gad Saad, Scott Adams, and our gracious hosts at RR and Phetasy. Each has their own style but are all directionally pointed towards freedom rather than compulsion. There are many others, but Scott is an adamant critic of calling out the arrogance of the experts. Some experts are reliable because they keep asking questions and offering critical thought. They are not only knowledgeable about their subject, but they are also capable of self-criticism and humble admission of error. It makes one more credible, not damaged goods. If someone has repeated and consistent errors most of us will stop listening to them. Some experts are not reliable because their commitment is to their preconceived and pre-committed ideas. Such idealogues can be charismatic and convincing, but in the end, they champion a cause and not the honest discussion of the topic. It happens in every field. It used to just be religious institutions that compelled thought and behavior for centuries, now it can be any group with real or perceived authority and power. Just ask the Enemedia and Academia.
Arriving at approximate truths in public discourse takes time, is messy and requires some humility to admit when you went down the wrong path and committed too much energy to being in error. I don’t know that most of humanity can embrace such raw honesty and humility. Imagine spending years on a particular cause to find out you are wrong? It is too easy to think that one has wasted their time and effort, but if you are honestly seeking is it ever a waste of time? I don’t think so. 5 years down the road and I am happy that I asked questions during Covid. It opened the door to more questions and patience.
· I appreciate experts, but I don’t take their opinions as Gospel.
· I appreciate questions asked in a critical manner.
· No one and no idea are above question or criticism.
· Yes, even dumbasses can ask critical questions of experts and should not be dismissed because they are a dumbass. One can acknowledge their history of error, incompetency or ignorance, but if they have an honest question, its dismissal reveals the dishonesty of the expert.
· Experts can be blind to their bias just like any of us. Experts can lie just like any of us. Experts can be joyfully mistaken.
· Arriving at the shores of understanding and approximate truth/testable reality takes time. I am suspicious of anyone demanding immediate compulsion of thought and subsequent behavior.
Sorry, more than I wanted to write on a Monday morning. Thank you if you took the time to real. Comment always welcome.
