There are many things that I don’t believe in (including ending sentences with prepositions). Some of these things are controversial, but it simply is a fact that I stand where I stand. Among the things in which I don’t believe are the following:

1. I do not believe in change for change’s sake. It is a wreckless and foolhardy thing to make a change simply out of a desire for something different.
2. I do not believe that what the majority holds as true makes a thing right. History is filled with stories of destruction precipitated by the majority. Remember, one meaning of the Greek word “Democracy” (demokratia) is “Mob Rule”.
3. I do not believe in slogans without substance. People love to rally around a mantra, but a mantra without meaning is simply repetitive noise.
4. I do not believe that personality and charisma make a person a good leader. Adolph Hitler had personality and charisma in spades.
5. I do not believe in resolving cognitive dissonance by ignoring facts. This is the very definition of self-delusion.
6. I do not believe that one can distance themselves from the behaviors of those with whom they associate, especially when many of those associates exhibit similar and consistent behaviors. I remember only too well my mother’s admonition that we’re all judged by the people with whom we associate.

But what exactly are those things in which I do believe? Here are some: Read the rest of this entry »