A heated debate has arisen on the Rules for Revolutionaries list and I nearly lost it. This is my latest and probably last posting on a very intense threat:

I will always speak my mind. I, too, am not victim to the illusion of being faultless and I am greatly enjoying to be on the receiving end of intellectual rebuttal. Hearing people disagree with my views causes me to think harder about what position I take and why. Sometimes, however, I get very frustrated when I can not make people see my point. I need to learn not to take it personally.

This list is called Rules for Revolutionaries. Revolutionaries are people that set out to change the status quo and to challenge the majority view. The Rules they are bound by are a sort of natural law that applies to all people living in a society. Our (european, german) society is apparently a lot more different from the US society than we are aware of. We like to make ourselves believe that since we have common roots, we can understand each other in all or at least most aspects.

I remain amazed at how a society that claims to be the most free on earth can have that many conventions limiting the freedom of the mind that I can not understand. The degree of patriotism displayed in postings on the list and reflected in the current collective paranoia that seems to have gripped the US is alien to a person living in a country where, for the second half of the recent century, the citizens were too ashamed of their history to develop a healthy relationship to their nation.

As Guy has shown in his various books, those that challange common (mis)conceptions have the chance to live a happy and interesting life. Trying to apply that to politics is apparently bound to get you a bloody nose. (Can I sue Guy because he didn´t notice that in the disclaimer? ;-)

So, I will refocus my energy on positive, creative things. Contrary to your image of me, I think I can be a very creative person and I have built a lot of things already, including profitable businesses and business ideas, marketing campaigns, websites, software products, a student newspaper, numerous printed marketing materials, communities, friendships and relationships. - Discuss (2 responses)