Sunday, November 30, 2008

Rhea Is Rhea

I have warned you about the untidy state of unpacking going on around here. I have given you some indication of what to expect from this blog. Now I suppose you may want to know a little about your host.
As I have previously stated, my name is Rhea Jones and, as has also been previously stated, I have been writing for a long time. I have, in fact, been writing in some form or another just about since I could first properly shape letters with a pencil. I have been writing political philosophy and things of that sort online for a little over ten years now. Before that, I was writing in the more traditional form (that would be putting words on paper and mailing them to people, if you are unsure), though I usually did so purely for my own enjoyment. In short, I have been practicing this writing thing for quite some time so I hope that I have come close to getting it right and that you will actually enjoy the results.
I must warn you in advance that, while I have been writing for many years, my typing is only mediocre at best. I try to proofread and catch my typoes, but they will occasionally slip through. I apologise if that is a distraction and I will try very hard to keep it to a minimum.
So what should you know about me in advance? The details will come through over the course of posting, but I assume you might want to know something before you invest that kind of time.
I have told you that I write political philosophy, so it would be natural for you to wonder about my own political leanings. The now traditional expression of that is either liberal or conservative so I must warn you that I am neither. Sorry, I know that doesn't clear up a thing. I suppose you could call me a centrist, but that actually implies more compromise than I truly believe in. I am definitely an independent, having a pretty low opinion of both ruling parties in American politics. I will often speak out more against the policies of liberals but that is simply more because I consider their policies to be more dangerous in modern politics. Most of those policies that I would dislike in conservative movements are those that don't have much traction in the first place. They are fairly safe just because most people dislike them. The exact opposite, unfortunately, is true of liberal policies. Many of their most popular ideas and themes are those I consider to be the most dangerous. Therefore, it is the squeaky wheel adage. Liberals make the most noise (as in, have the most people screaming support for their horrendous ideas) so they get the most of my attention. Please do not allow this to lead you to the false conclusion that I am a conservative.
So what are some positive statements I can make to help you understand my political philosophy? I believe that the natural state of life is freedom and anything that infringes upon that should be viewed with suspicion at best. I believe that the natural rights possessed by all living people cannot be summed up in any declaration of rights but that those rights do not extend to an all-encompassing free for all. I believe that reality is real and that the fastest way to fail is to forget that fact. I believe that life is about action and action involves both choice and responsibility. I believe that common courtesy has become ridiculously uncommon and I believe that that fact has made our lives much more difficult than they need to be. I believe that the common expression of the Golden Rule gets the idea backward: how you treat others defines what you demonstrate to be acceptable therefore defines how you should be treated.
I could do this all day, but that should give you an idea. As I said, the point will become more clear through the course of my writing, but now you have some idea of what to expect.
I am me. That is not the cop out that most people use it as. It is not a statement of excuse for who I am. I do not believe I need an excuse. I am happy with who I am. You do not have to be, but that is up to you. Maybe we will find some common ground or maybe we will simply enjoy debating ideas (which is, itself, a form of common ground). We will have to see how it goes as we travel down this road.

A Is A

The title I have chosen for this blog should give you some small idea of the perspective that will determine most everything I write here. A is A. Reality is real. A thing is itself. This is hardly a new philosophy. It was, in fact, first codified by one of histories greatest philosophers a little over 2000 years ago. As the age of this venerable statement advances, though, it seems that we come closer and closer to forgetting it completely. Far too many people appear to have forgotten it already.
The simplified and classic definition of insanity is to repeat the same action or behavior while expecting different results. This has become the world as we know it. Mass insanity. We, as a whole, routinely expect things to turn out differently than history has proven possible. We expect to get what we want through the sheer act of wish fulfillment, rather than through doing what is necessary to achieve the desired result. We expect A to be not-A and then we complain that life is not fair when A insists on being A.
This blog is a statement to the fact that reality is real. As a corollary to that, reality does not care what you or I think about it. It is incapable of doing so. Reality is a great engine chugging along, doing only what it is capable of doing and not doing what it is incapable of doing. What we do within this reality and how we respond to this reality is the complete definition of who we are and how happy we are with who we are. If your happiness is dependant upon rain falling up, you are going to be one seriously depressed individual.
While this makes for a great philosophical statement, most of us do not have time for abstract theory. What we need are practical demonstrations. Well, if you are like most people and need those practical demonstrations, you are in luck. The modern press is overflowing with them. The greatest challenge is narrowing down the list to a manageable number.
Which brings us (Do I hear you saying "finally"?) to the actual point of this blog. News of the Absurd, Political News, and what we can only call Celebrity Mayhem will be the most common themes of this blog. Because I have a variety of interests, we will occasionally slide into other topics just for the fun or amusement of them, but you can expect those three subjects to dominate. I have found, over time, that those three subjects are where A Is A most needs to be demonstrated. If that sounds potentially interesting to you, I hope you will come along for the ride. Story time will begin soon. I hope to see you there.

Moving In

Welcome to the blog A IS A. My Name is Rhea Jones (that's pronounced "ray", in case you were wondering) and I will be your host as we explore whatever comes to mind. The boxes are still stacked in the middle of the rooms and no pictures have yet been hung on the walls, so I do hope you will be a little patient with me as we get settled in here. I'm going to take a little time (and possibly a few posts) to introduce myself and give you some idea of what to expect before we actually move into the serious business of blogging.
First, let me assure you, whether or not you have seen my name before, I am not new to this. I have been blogging for many years (even including long before it became known as "blogging") only I have done so under psuedomnyms. The most recent pseudonym, and one with which you may be familiar, was Ailill Farraideach. I state this here so that it will be possible to reference things I have written in the past without having to dredge up the entire history at that time and so that there is no misdirected feeling that I am changing names in order to hide from anything I have written in the past. I am not and I am very proud of the time that I have spent writing under that name. I am making this move because I feel it is time to lay aside the pseudonyms and place my name on my opinions. If you and I are to become acquainted, let us begin correctly. I am Rhea Jones. This is who I am and this is what I believe.
Having said that, I hope that you will take the time to get to know me. Of course, I also hope that you will allow me the time to get things put together here before you make any snap judgments. Things will look a little plain for a while, but I assure you it will all come together. Allow me to unpack the boxes and hang a few pictures - and maybe even get a cozy fire going in the fireplace - and then we will see what happens. I hope you will visit often and I will endeavor to give you reason to visit often.

Edit: For those who might be new arrivals, I should have mentioned that the previous works, from the pseudonym Ailill Farraideach, can be viewed at Ailill Online.