A Short But Meaningful Rant

There are few things in life that provide us with the opportunity for mental gymnastics and the crystallizing of opinions, like a good rant! I used to relish the weekly diatribe by Dennis Miller, comedian/philosopher, as he would skewer politics, society and religion; all the touchstones of humanity.

I would laugh at his sharp wit and sharper verbal knives, when he sliced and diced the object of his public autopsy of some public figure, or institution. Sometimes, I agreed with his biting comments; other times I found him too over-the-top for my own belief system.

Today, we find ourselves in turbulent waters, both in politics and social issues. I don't know about you, but I like, nay, I insist, on using my own brain to dissect the body politic and the societal norms of our times.

I don't want, nor desire others, to influence my feelings or responses to pertinent issues. I want to take it all in, sift through the dirt as if panning for gold and then, if I'm lucky, finding a few precious nuggets to pocket.

It is far too easy to allow others to shape and form our beliefs and the actions that follow. It seems to me behavior such as loud chest thumping, is not just unique to large apes, but can be witnessed in what has become our every day discourse.

I know when emotions run high they tend to spill over like a mud slide, obscuring and displacing rational thought. In my humble opinion, I believe in the power of facts, rather than a knee-jerk reaction to loud rhetoric and puffed-up bravado.

All of us need fresh air to sustain life. I contend we need open minds to filter out the garbage that's floating around us in every form of communication from TV and Radio to the ubiquitous Internet.

Let's think through the issues by weighing all the facts and turning down the volume of voices screaming like banshees in the night! Just saying...