Apr. 20, 2022

On Being A Contrarian

A few weeks ago, during a sunny walk along snow covered banks of the North Saskatchewan River, my Son called me a 'contrarian', as though it were an affliction.

That's not all he called me during our hours-long conversation that ranged from virology to political science but that's the one observation he made that stayed with me because it was personal, and it's true; My world-view is very different than most.

I don't personally see myself fitting ALL the dictionary definitions of a contrarian but I am willing to concede that lately I've been asking 'Why?' of many things. Things that occupy the public's attention, or should be occupying the public's attention but are not.

Certainly my attitude of late does raise a few eyebrows, but I did not know that it is sinful to question. God gave us free will, and to exercise it properly it behooves us to be discerning in our decision making.

To me the real sin is in deriving me (or anyone else) of the right and/or ability to do my own questioning and decision making. One of Satan's best lines is, “The science is settled.”

Science, politics, philosophy, finance, industry, academia, medicine and media all demand to have questions asked of them to decide if their impact on society is beneficial to everyone. “Sustainable Development” is a wonderful phrase now used by all of the above to convince society that what they are doing is beneficial to everyone, but have you ever taken the time to explore all that Sustainable Development entails for humanity? I have, and the 'fine print' is not rainbows and unicorns for the average person on this Earth.

When I get right down to it, I will always need to 'know more' because I don't trust things or people that I don't understand. I am driven to look at nature and humanity from as many perspectives as possible; an admittedly vain attempt to gain a bigger and better picture of how it all works.

Most people don't suffer from this need, so they can not know the hours spent in research nor the satisfaction felt when multiple information sources corroborate events in history and in real time. Most people then will never know the frustration of hearing those events described very differently by the rest of society.

So an affliction it must be if frustration and lack of sleep are the symptoms, but it is one that I continue to invite. A scan through the posts in this blog will advise the reader of the depth and breadth of my affliction and hopefully, just maybe the reader will appreciate the different view, “And therefore as a stranger give it welcome,” as Hamlet pleaded of Horatio;

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. But come; Here, as before, never, so help you mercy, how strange or odd soe'er I bear myself, as perchance hereafter shall think meet to put an antic disposition on.

That you, at such times seeing me, never shall, with arms encumber'd thus, or this headshake, or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase as “Well, well we know...” or “We could, an if we would...”. Or “If we list to speak...” or “There be, an if they might..” Or such ambiguous giving out, to note that you know aught of me: this do not do.

Thank You,

Ted