ideas, emery, holding our own and open-mindedness, happiness

This song by Emery depresses me a lot.
But I really like his river metaphor.
How sad that the writer for a (not publicly professed, but) Christian band is in a place like that.
'publicly professed'. That's probably redundant.



It's interesting the manner in which ideas form when they are forced, and the quality of the work that results. ensues. follows.



The only good ideas are the ones that can stand up to the most potent or foolish of adversaries.
Relatedly: The best time to learn to be open-minded is in learning to hold our own.

Thinking to ourselves that we're right is very different from thinking out loud that we're right. There's always bound to be someone who disagrees, and they'd never pass up a chance to put someone in his/her place. And so when we publicize an idea and it is challenged, and we are then forced to consider this argument and respond to it, we learn to bring into mind views other than our own. Sometimes we end up discovering that we cannot counter an argument, and so we are wrong. But are we not better off for now having the right (until further challenged, at least) idea in our minds rather than ignorantly remaining in the wrong?
It takes a great deal of courage, I suppose.

There is an exception, of course: There are people (Bill O'Reilly, for example) who have the ability to appear right without ever having, for the most part, to defend an actual opinion. It involves a lot of manipulation and relies, I think, on attacking a person rather than a view. It also, it seems, requires a complete lack of loyalty to intellectual ethics, such as the one that says: I pursue the truth.


I've been thinking lately about my responsibility to happiness, rejoicing in the Lord and having joy. It occurred to me just now that I don't, in fact, have to blame my unhappiness on myself and that many people don't. I will continue doing so, though, because I believe that the responsibility really does lie on me. I'm glad I was raised this way.
Maybe more on this later.



Currently listening to:
Seattle, The Classic Crime
Be My Escape, Relient K
Daisy, Switchfoot

Currently reading:
A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanauken