In the Beginning

I started my first blog... <scratches head> two years ago?  Six blogs later, I'm still wondering how to write a first post.  

I'll begin by talking about the purpose of this blog.  I'll post a permanent link to this post at the top of the site so that it'll be easy to refer back to.

In my ninth and tenth grades, I attended a teeny little school called Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy.  One of the big things that would catch people's attention at that school were the Socratic-style discussions.  We would discuss topics that ranged from metaphysical (what is reality?) to sensitive (abortion, healthcare, politics, religion, etc.) to befuddling (what do women want?).  And, especially with the sensitive topics, we would lay aside prejudices, examine our preconceived notions, and seek a deeper understanding of the issue.  No yelling and screaming, just pure intellectual discussion.  There are a lot of adults who haven't figured out how to do that, which is really sad, because our Socratic Seminar was really awesome.

Alas, it was only for ninth and tenth grades.  My dad got a job seventy miles away, and the commute was just too far.  After that I found myself in an engineering school that was, shockingly, more full of geek-nerds than even Maeser.  But that's beside the point.

In this blog, I am going to talk about all the deep thinking I do.  This may include, and is not limited to:

1. Ideas about existence itself, as well as the way people see it and how the way you see reality changes reality.  This could involve psychology, biology, and quantum physics.  I don't particularly like math, so I'll be keeping equations to a minimum, and I will do my best to explain everything so clearly that my seven-year-old brother can understand it.  Feel free to ask questions about anything I say.

2. Ideas about how we interact with ideas.  

3. Controversial ideas (religion, politics, etc.).  I don't intend to persuade anybody of anything.  I want to talk about these ideas so that we may all understand them more deeply and make more informed decisions.  BUT, I have drawn conclusions already, so I can't guarantee that I'll be completely unbiased.  Just know that I want you to draw your own conclusions, and don't hold those conclusions so dearly that they keep you from thinking about new things.

4. Ideas about how we think and feel, and how we change with time.

5. Thoughts on games.  I'm a very story-driven gamer.  This leads me away from a lot of mainstream stuff like first-person shooters (Halo, Call of Duty, etc.), MMOs (World of Warcraft), and anything on Facebook.  That's all I'll say for now.

6. etc.

Most of my posts will be like this one, but if you're lucky I might express some my ideas in the form of a story or poetry or a picture or something like that.  We'll see what happens.

Basically, if you want to understand life and its residents a little bit better, this blog is for you.

I hope you enjoy it!  ^_^