In the song “Imagine,” John Lennon said, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I am not the only one.” That describes my life from early childhood. With an insatiable curiosity, I read on a daily basis, dreaming of fantastic worlds with endless, wonderful possibilities. In my imagining, I solved the day’s problem, fell in love, and became the hero.
Later in life, it evolved from dreaming to working on understanding different life factors and problems with people and society, particularly in the realm of spirituality. Being raised in the Church of Hell Fire and Damnation, I was both living in fear and suffering from the dilemma of not understanding the Bible’s conflicts as I saw it. Others may be able to believe without question, but my mind didn’t work that way. It was something I needed to solve. That may have been the beginning of my search for answers in other areas of life. I’ve delved into and sifted through a vast amount of written and spoken words on many subjects throughout my life.
If you follow my writing, you may have noticed I regularly propose solutions to many current dilemmas and give my opinion on various aspects of life. In short, if I see some problem, my first instinct is to find a workable solution. I don’t seek just any convenient answer but look for the optimum one that does the greatest good for the largest number in whatever sphere involved, based on the information I have at hand on the original situation.
Is that a curse or a blessing? Well, it can be both. When listening to my wife pose a difficulty she is having, I immediately go into “solve it mode.” She doesn’t much care for that. She told me in no uncertain terms that my only task was to listen and that I was her sounding board as she works through it. When I often forget this and start solving her problems for her, needless to say, it doesn’t go as well as it could have.
I’ve wondered if something similar may apply to some of my readers. Do you think I am arrogant and pushy for expressing a solution or opinion as if I think mine is the best idea over all others? I do believe what I write about is well thought out and sensible. If I am honest, I believe I am a bit arrogant. I had not realized that before writing this article. My wife is my editor, and I know she often changes my wording to make me sound less blunt or offensive. I am indeed lucky in that regard.
At 73 years old, I suppose I am not likely to change very much, so I hope you will forgive me if I occasionally rub you the wrong way. I also hope you consider the content of any article, despite my failings. I am arrogant enough to believe I have some possible ideas and viewpoints that have intrinsic value, even if only to add to the overall conversation.
One final note before I sign off. I’ve said this many times over the years. I may be wrong! That applies to any statement or opinion I may express. After evaluating its validity, I constantly seek new information on multiple subjects and may accept, modify, or reject all or part of any data. Please feel free to add to the conversation. Post your viewpoint in the comments, and I will respond and carefully consider it. Thanks for reading!