According to Facebook, today marks one year since I created a Facebook page, and therefore this website. That really comes as little surprise as my first political post was shortly after the second inauguration of President Trump, and I created the page
๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฅ, ๐๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ง ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ.
The first few times I wrote something it was because I was frustrated with the political environment. I was frustrated that Congress was not stepping up to fulfill their obligations. Above all else, I was frustrated that people were simply attacking each other rather than listening to one another.
I have said it many times over the past year, but I still firmly believe that the ideologies of ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ, ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ซ ๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ.
Politicians in search of soundbites and campaign slogans have long sought to vastly oversimplify the details of the proposals they support. Bills in Congress that are thousands of pages long are often reduced to a small number of talking points; in reality, they can encompass hundreds or thousands of different political positions and represent long-debated compromises while being drafted.
๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฅ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐ฉ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
Over the past year I have written around 50 posts in total. I have read a number of books about politics and history. I have done my best to elicit dialogue between left and right.
Moreover, I have thought about what purpose I have in writing my thoughts on a regular basis. I would love to see more discussion and ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ง๐ฎ๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฅ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ค ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐.
However, at the end of the day, a large part of the reason I write is to be introspective. Many days ๐ข๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐, but I have come to appreciate doing so for my own sake.
I am currently reading the book Moon and Sixpence by William Somerset Maugham. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, but I do find many passages in his book resonate very well with me, and this explanation felt very familiar:
โIt is a salutary discipline to consider the vast number of books that are written, the fair hopes with which their authors see them published, and the fate which awaits them. What chance is there that any book will make its way among that multitude? And the successful books are but the successes of a season. Heaven knows what pains the author has been at, what bitter experiences he has endured and what heartache suffered, to give some chance reader a few hours’ relaxation or to while away the tedium of a journey. And if I may judge from the reviews, many of these books are well and carefully written; much thought has gone to their composition; to some even has been given the anxious labour of a lifetime. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐๐ฅ ๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ค ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ง ๐จ๐ ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ; ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ๐, ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐, ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ.โ
Thank you to everyone who has read my thoughts over the past year. I have appreciated the opportunity to scream into the void and release the burden of my thoughts, and I look forward to continuing to do so.
