Watched “Jonah Hex” tonight. I had in mind something easy, which was accomplished. Got me thinking about the stereotypical cowboy, taking on the world on his own. Obviously, this isn’t how things actually get done, in general, in the real world. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard: they work in groups. CIA, DIA, FBI, DHS, LEO’s: groups.
Yet this lone standout, this Gary Cooper in “High Noon” idea, has merit.
Ponder this: what if all 300 million or so Americans (whatever we are up to) thought independently? What if every man, woman and child in this country had an opinion on everything, which they were willing to share with the world, and expose to critical and positive scrutiny? Would this not be positive?
When selecting a decision path, people choose from available options. Regretably often, they choose from what they perceive as the middle of available options.
What if we were all truly individualists? This doesn’t imply selfishness, or ignoring social problems: on the contrary, individualism is a mindset in which any and all ideas are given a hearing, if there is a CHANCE that they might solve a problem which needs solving.
I see this stupid idea all the time, that individualism means selfishness. Here’s a newsflash for the dumb people of the world: Mother Teresa was an individualist. So was Gandhi. So was Martin Luther, and Martin Luther King, Jr. As far as that goes, so were Karl Marx and Lenin, even though they would not have used those words.
If you are perceiving as a sovereign intellect, you are an individualists. Conformity generates the repetition of ideas, but not the useful multiplication of ideas.
Clear enough? Now go generate some ideas of your own, dammit. Post them somewhere. Defend them. Learn something. I do this all the time.
I have never been happy in places where people agree with me. I like disagreement. I just got kicked off the Daily Kos, and can’t muster the time to deal with Media Matters. As far as that goes, I can’t even reliably post my ideas on supposedly conservative websites. Mildly frustrating, but I have outlets like this one.
If I reach a point where everybody hates me, though, I know I will have succeeded. That’s a tough nut to crack.
Wish me luck.
Editorial comment: I’ve been known to drink a bit of whiskey from time to time. This post was influenced by it. I won’t take the time to rub out the rough spots, but figured I’d add that by way of clarification.