5 Things I Hope To Answer

List of the 5 main things I would like to answer in this blog.

Welcome to my first blog post! Whether you know me personally, tangentially, or not at all I hope that this blog will give you a snapshot into my ideas, ideals, and idiosyncrasies. Can you tell that I like alliteration and the Oxford comma? Whether you are also a fan of these literary devices or even care to know about them - that's your call and I respect and appreciate you either way. So what are these 5 main things I hope to answer?

1.) Who am I?

I believe that there is much more to a person than meets the eye and that we cannot and should not be defined by one mistake or an initial impression we give to someone. The old adage, "don't judge a book by its cover" definitely applies to me as I can be shy and introverted when you first get to know me. I am, by modern definitions, a caucasian cis-male and my pronouns are he/him. More than my race or gender identity, I hope to answer many more questions about who I am.

2.) What is my true purpose in life?

Like many caucasians in America I was raised Christian, specifically Roman Catholic. The Catholic Church has a lot of views on a human being's true purpose in life but it boils down to obeying "commandments" and repenting for any "sins" so one can live eternally in heaven. My take on this view is complicated but I put much more stock in science today than the Bible (which was compiled from oral traditions and many translations from their original form millennia ago).

I want to live for today, not tomorrow, and not some idealized place in the sky. This is a theme I hope to come back and address many times in future posts with more detail but for now know that my true purpose in life is something which I plan to discover on a daily basis and fulfill only in my latter years on this planet.

3.) Is there a right side to every situation?

More than any of the other questions, this is the one which I struggle with the most. I consider myself to be a very diplomatic, even-tempered person but I am also very opinionated and stubborn (a true Taurus). While there are certainly facts which should dictate most situations, I like to explore the motivations behind why facts are ignored or "spun" in a lot of conflicts today, while also playing devil's advocate, and advocating for common-sense resolutions.

4.) What is the best way of living?

In my opinion (and as I've already stated, I can be very opinionated), the best of way of living generally is to be the best stewards we can be for the world around us - taking care of people of every nation, religion, and race while balancing the natural resources of the planet to promote global sustainability. I hope to share with you my thoughts on these things relative to global events and my own efforts at striving for this maxim.

5.) What media moves you?

I personally feel most connected to the world around me through the visual arts and music and try to consume media which promotes change and pushes the limits of human potential and equality. My favorite visual art forms are photographs, movies, paintings, ceramics, metalworks, and literature and my favorite genres of music are alternative, punk, prog, and classic rock followed by hip-hop, EDM, and classical. I hope to also share with you more details on new and timeless media which moves me to be the best that I can be.