An exceptionlly long excuse as to why I don't blog more

I had high hopes for my blog. I envisioned myself writing witty and interesting things every day, and earning scads of loyal followers, publishing a book, my own talk show! But here I am, nearly 2 months later (I think, I don't even remember when I started this thing...) and I am only on my third post. The problem is not that I don't have things to say, it's that I have TOO much to say (how cliche, I know). But seriously, anyone who has met me for long enough to get past the pleasantries knows that I have an opinion on literally EVERYTHING. So why no posts you ask? Why no insane rants on every imaginable topic? The fear of being exposed for the prejudiced, opinionated jerk that I am inside has frozen me every time I have sat down with what I felt was a good blog topic. Without the warm and forgiving cloak of anonymity, I feel exposed, the imaginary wind of public judgment whipping at my soft underbelly. My fingers seize up on home row as I imagine my words coming back to haunt me just as I am about to receive the Nobel Peace Prize or take the oath of office (I don't know which one yet).

So my topic for today I guess would be, am I embarrassed about what I actually think, is what I think wrong, or is it just my Canadian politeness getting in the way of my success as a blogger? If we hold opinions that we don't want to share just because we don't want to rock the boat, maybe it's time to really evaluate those topics, and figure out if our stance is really a stance worth taking, or if we are simply echoing something that we heard or read once because it sounded good at the time.

In taking a closer look at my own views, I have reached the conclusion that perhaps it is not that my more controversial opinions are wrong, but that in general people don't like to be confronted with uncomfortable discussions, especially when it is something that relates to a choice they have made or a view that they strongly subscribe to. Our culture tells us that we are to be tolerant and that everyone has a right to their own opinion (which I totally agree with), but the reality is, when this is taken to a certain level, it becomes just a convenient way of avoiding confrontation that discourages discourse and does not really encourage people to think through their decisions and purported views (aka echos). Taken to the extreme, it weakens the ideas of right and wrong which are the core of the social contract that keeps our society from plunging into anarchy.

So what is the solution, I ask myself? Do I sit quiet with my opinions so that friends, relatives and strangers don't feel challenged or perhaps judged? Or do I blurt out what I think with no regard to the many sides of an issue? Or do I temper my opinions in a "you're ok, I'm ok, we're ok" kind of wishy-washy way? Is there an option that is going to please everyone, a way in which I can provoke safe dialogue on important issues without people I care about thinking less of me? And the sad answer is probably no. As humans, we don't like to be wrong. It elicits a whole range of uncomfortable emotions - embarassment, shame, and fear, and our gut reation is to try to avoid discomfort, so we generally avoid confronting issues that make us feel this way, or we respond in a way (usually anger) that helps us to cover those feelings of discomfort.

So in conclusion, I think I will blog, and I will probably say some things that make some people (or most people, or all people) uncomfortable or even angry, but please if you plan on reading my blog take what I have said above into consideration. I am not trying to exert myself or my morals or thoughts on others, I am simply putting thoughts out there in the hope that discourse will arise, and that through intellectual challenge, growth may occur.