When we built our new house, of course, there were new mirrors. I didn’t think much about it until I began to spend extended periods looking into one of them. Now before you jump to the conclusion I’m some kind of vain old fool having another mid-life crisis, that is not the case. About 4 months ago I got contact lenses. For those of you with them, you understand. There is a steep learning curve. Some days they pop right in, some days they don’t.
While spending all that time looking in this mirror, I began seeing things I had never seen before. I don’t mean superficial things, I mean something within. I began seeing someone becoming someone he didn’t want to be. I started seeing someone who was retreating into his own opinions while closing his mind and hardening to opposing views. I saw someone beginning to think people with different ideas or opinions on issues were either ill-informed, stupid, or brainwashed. I think many factors have contributed to this. Social Media, 24-hour news cycles, and talk radio probably have had more of an influence on me than I would like to admit. For me, this type of thinking is unacceptable. It’s not me and won’t be me anymore. I refuse to fall in line behind anyone, especially some condescending talking head that has found their way into my life via the magic of electronics. Now don’t get me wrong, I have my own ideas and opinions, but they’re mine and mine alone. They don’t elevate me to some “Moral High Ground,” and neither does anyone else’s. I will, as painful as it sometimes pull the scab back. I’ll look and try to understand why someone’s opinion differs from mine. I will be flexible. I will change my mind if something changes it. Friends, some old, outdated opinion that I’ve fostered for years without reviewing, just isn’t the hill I choose to die on. A very wise man once said, “It doesn’t matter how flat and thin a pancake is, it still has two sides”. From now on, I’m gonna flip that pancake every time.
Musings of an Old Beach Guy 