Thursday, June 14, 2012
I was reading someone else's blog a short while ago and I was struck with how one-sided it was. We live in a society overrun by one-sided thought; my favorite of these ideologies is the one that elevates balance to a position which trumps all else. The contradiction may not be immediately apparent, but if one holds balance as their ultimate goal, then logically truth must take a back seat. Seeking balance is in its own right one-sided.
Getting back to someone else's blog. As I read, two questions entered my mind; is what I am reading too one-sided? Or, have I been influenced by society to dislike one-sidedness so much that even a hint of it turns me off? I like to think that I can think for myself (which should be a subject of another posting), and I conclude that my discerning mind can tell the difference between a reasonable amount of one-sided and when there's too much. Sometimes on someone else's blog the one-sided seems to be for one-sided's sake.
Obviously there is a time and place for being one-sided. For example, your nervous system commands your hand away from the candle flame before a painful burn can occur. There's no discussion of differing points of view, no mulling over various options... Get away! is one-sided. Similarly there was the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, no rational person would suggest that there is any side other than that which was ultimately successful.
As I read someone else's blog, that little voice in the back of my mind (also a subject for another posting) calmly, yet ardently it tells me that what I am reading is too one-sided. It's difficult to explain, but the author makes one point, good, then follows it up with another, fine, and then a statement is made which triggers me, hold on a minute. It's not that there's any inconsistency, there are no logical errors, just too much something... What is it? It's a one-sided thought process which has gone outside the bounds of reason. Now "what's so great about reason?" you might ask. I suggest that reason is the sum of adding thought and truth. One-sidedness is connected to thought, which is fine as long as truth remains in the equation. Once personal opinion or emotion is substituted for truth, reason flies out the window. I think that the little voice in my head was alerting me of a shift from truth to opinion. One-sided truth is still truth, whereas you know what they say about opinions... This holds true for all opinions, one-sided and otherwise.
Of course the dilemma is that those who are one-sided either are ignorant to the fact, or worse they actually take pride in their one-sidedness. As evidenced by the comments posted on someone else's blog people seem to really enjoy one-sidedness, perhaps it is a breath of fresh air in a society so concerned with balance and "fairness". But too much of anything can be bad for you, especially if you have allergies or aren't wearing the right clothes. You might be wondering if I'm writing about a specific blog, and if so why don't I have the guts balls to be more specific in my criticism? Let me be extremely sincere for a moment; as I write it becomes all too clear that I am a fallible human specimen, incapable of conclusively attaining truth. Over on his blog Peter examines films, basically giving either a thumbs-up or down. He occupies a realm of opinion with confidence and gusto. I on the other hand have ventured into the scary world of the real. I risk being completely wrong, calling out someone else's blog for a crime which they may not have committed. Maybe the voice in the back of my mind is wrong.
