It would be easy to say that I have made a New Years resolution to start a blog. I certainly due hope this first entry will mark the beginning of a commit to write more. But truthfully, I have been thinking about making the effort for a long time.
Writing is a healthy exercise. It helps sharpen ideas. After writing on a topic, I find that I am much better at explaining it verbally as well. Often I am inspired by ideas. I outline the topic in my head and formulate the arguments. Hopefully this blog will be the extra motivation I need to actually write the words. Obviously, writing for oneself is of limited value. Hopefully I am communicating something of value to others.
My inspiration to write is not limited to a single topic. Perhaps a greater focus would be helpful for choosing a career. But radical ideas pay no respect to arbitrary boundaries. Perhaps I will make an effort to submit articles for publication in magazines. So far I have made little effort to do so. My intention with this blog is to collect whatever I write in a single place, and allow various threads of thought to intersect or juxtapose each other.
I commit to writing with a full appreciation for the importance of ideas. Not mere information, but ideas shape the way we see the world; guide how we interpret it; decide where to focus our attention and made decisions to act. Every political movement in history, regardless of when or where, has depended on ideas to recruit followers, guide decisions, establish unity, and deeply impact society. Sometimes ideology is shunted in favor of a pragmatic or "scientific" approach. This delusion is either the product of overconfidence or a desire to trounce opposing perspectives.
Over the course of my political life, thanks to my comrades and those who came before me, I have developed a clarity of values and perspectives which my writing will make clear. But I will endeavor to avoid the pitfalls of a simplistic perspective. Hopefully I am self-aware enough to identify where my own point of view comes from and honest enough to state it. Different strategies and tactics serve different ends. Which we choose is a matter of ideology.
Thanks to the internet and globalization, ideas and information are mixing and available like never before. Not surprisingly, ideas are being synthesized, developed, and deceminated in ways that were impossible before. Old barriers are being broken down. It’s an exciting time to be part of a community of ideas. I would like to thank ZCommunications for this opportunity to read, write, think, and hopefully interact with a community of radical thinkers.
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