Remember Me?

When I started this blog, I imagined it as a place to think clearly and write honestly--a place to sort through ideas without the noise and tribalism of Facebook, Twitter (now X), and the rest. I thought it might even become a pressure valve for frustration. That never quite happened.

Recently, I asked ChatGPT to critique my posts. The verdict was blunt: I was holding back. Too careful. Too defensive. Apparently, I still care what people think--and it shows up in the writing. The advice was simple: say what you actually believe. Write what you think and feel, grounded in fact and experience, and let the chips fall.

So here it is.

With few exceptions, I have a dim view of modern politics. Many of our elected officials strike me as unserious, performative, self-interested, and willing to sacrifice principle for power. Even those who speak most loudly about morality often find their standards softening when elections are at stake or when it is useful to demonize an opponent.

I used to think the left had a stronger authoritarian streak than the right. Today, the labels themselves feel unstable. "Liberal" and "conservative" no longer describe consistent philosophies; they function more as team identifiers. Finding principled moderates on either side feels increasingly rare. Both parties have ceded ground to their loudest factions, and ordinary voters--otherwise reasonable people--are often swept along. When I watch rallies, protests, or political theater on either side, I'm struck less by conviction than by conformity.

I refuse to outsource my thinking. I refuse to make decisions based on who is speaking rather than what is being said. I may like or dislike a politician, but that personal reaction does not determine whether I agree with a particular position. Arrogance, however, is a universal disqualifier. It repels me regardless of party.

I skipped the State of the Union this year. I knew the script: what would be said, how each side would react, the applause lines and the scowls. Reading the coverage afterward confirmed the predictability of it all. I don't need to watch theater to understand the plot.

That's enough for one post--especially after a long silence.