A common misconception

-Nick
Let me start with a little bit of a long preface.  First, let's assume for the sake of argument that everything I am about to say is true.  There are many things that I will say that you may not agree with, which is partially the point of the article, so sit tight and put on your listening pants...  Or reading glasses, or whatever you people do...   Second, for the sake of the article I am going to misuse some terms, such as religion, to mean what's commonly referred to.  Please do not think that I don't comprehend the meaning behind the terms.  The reasoning behind this is simple, I don't want to type out every exception.

Now we can get started.  I was pondering as I usually do, when a question came to me, "How come people are so scared of being wrong about what they believe?"  The obvious answer came to me as: if you were to change what you believe as your core values, you would have to change almost everything you view about the world.  That is a very uncomfortable position to be in, and we like comfort.  Upon further examination an interesting idea was formed.  What we "believe in" is theoretically defined by the following inverted pyramid.  Facts are the top layer.  They make up arguments, adding justification to assumptions.  Assumptions, the second layer, are what are necessary to proceed with any argument.  The only way to logically convince someone of something is to boil the issue down to the most basic assumption, and then build from that assumption.  Where do those assumptions come from?  Our Beliefs.  Formulated usually at a young age, these are the basis of our assumptions.  This is where things get messy.  If two people's core beliefs differ, it would be very difficult to come to a logical conclusion.  Let me for a second back up and explain some things.  No one knows all the facts about an issue.  In the end you must make a choice, based on the evidence provided.  This means that accuracy will never be 100%.  Our interpretation of these facts are based on our assumptions.  Our assumptions are based on our beliefs, which comes from anecdotal evidence.  My conclusion of this pyramid?  It doesn't work.  Everything I believe is concluded from logically invalid methods.  This does not mean however I think truth is malleable.  Just because no one can prove something, doesn't mean it's not there.  This is where my main topic comes in, faith.  People has this odd notion that faith is somehow only intertwined in religion.  In truth faith is merely believing something without knowing.  This is the glue that holds the pyramid together.  Without faith we wouldn't believe in anything.  Regardless of point of view we all have faith in things, so it is ridiculous to think that somehow faith is arguable.  The existence and necessity of faith are neither debatable.  So if everyone believes what they believe through faith, how can we therefore instantly negate the possibility that we could be wrong?  A philosophy that does not question itself, is inherently fallible.

The Love of Hating Love (or the hate of loving hate)

- Taylor
I, like Nick, have had a hard time deciding what to write for my first blog post. I had thought about writing a small explanation of who I was, so you could see where I come from and such, but then I decided that was dumb. Everybody writes intros about themselves and usually they only describe the best aspects of themselves while leaving out the bad. Instead I decided I would post a bio a friend wrote for me. It goes as follows:
TAYLOR S
Taylor is a cheerful, fun guy. He writes upbeat, sarcastic songs about Zombie Apocalypses and Polygamy. You'd think he was the happiest guy in the world. But Taylor has a dark side. Taylor hates everyone in the world.

This is probably the most accurate description anyone has ever given of me, and I found it hilarious when I first read it. But before you go getting the wrong idea about me let me explain my hatred of everybody. I am actually a happy person who enjoys the company of those around me. I’ve found that I get along with most people, and I always give them a chance to show me who they are. However, I also find myself disliking many people, due to their pure stupidity. Let me show you what I mean in the form of a story. 
I was sitting in the café at college, minding my own business when a group of people sat behind me and began discussing their views on just about everything from discrimination to traveling experiences. During their conversation one of them began talking about Europe and how beautiful it was, and me being the creep I am, I listened intently to them while pretending to read a book. 
“Europe is just so beautiful. I would love to live there someday,” said one of them.
“I agree,” said another. “I mean the landscape is just so gorgeous. And it’s also got a great history.”
“Yeah. Its history is way better than America’s, because, ya know, America had slaves.”
All of them had completely serious tones, and no one spoke up to correct him. Meanwhile I died a little inside as I screamed into my mind “EUROPE HAD SLAVES YOU RETARD.” Not only did Europe have slaves BEFORE America, some countries had slaves AFTER America. And as if that weren’t bad enough they went on to say that those who didn’t like gay people were racists. Apparently no one had ever told them that homosexuality isn’t a race.
Nothing about their conversation was right. Nothing about them was smart or even vaguely intellectual. Now, I am not totally opposed to dumb people, because there are those who are dumb and know it and therefore do not spurt out their incorrect thoughts. The people I dislike tend to be those who don’t know but think they do, and for some reason I find myself constantly surrounded by those people. Yes, that is way I am considered to hate everyone in the world, as everyone around me is dumb and incapable. It is a bad trait to have, and I realized that because of this many people will dislike me; however I hope that this does not damage my relationship with you, the reader. 
Anyway, this concludes my first post for Blogger Triad. I hope you keep reading.

Laziness, My Greatest Motivator

-Nick
I do not like hard work. It is much easier for me to sit around and watch the days go by, doing my own thing, than to get out there and make a difference.  I would say this is a pretty common trait, and most people would tend to agree this is not a good trait to have.  I disagree.  What is the most powerful form of instinctual drive? Fear.  What gives us that extra boost of adrenaline?  What makes us be able to run faster than we ever thought we could?  what drives us to stay up night after night working on a project?   Fear of losing.  Whether it be your own life, or another’s life, or respect, fear of losing is an instinct engrained deeply into our minds.  My greatest fear?  going through the daily motions of life until I die.  I see myself walking to school, figuring out my major, going home and chatting with my friends.  These are all good things.  In reality, however, they are just more preparation.  More getting ready to "start my life". Often times I feel as if I could spend my entire lifetime preparing to start my life.  That fear is what drives me today.  It drives me to make decisions, take risks, and be willing to fail.  It sounds strange, but the only way I persist through fear is fear of greater loss.  My fear of rejection is trumped by the fear of losing an opportunity.  Every bold move I make is based off of fear.  My laziness is my greatest fear.  I am so frightened by the thought of never being able to make a difference, everything else pails in comparison.  I will not be deterred, I will not be stopped, because I am afraid.  Fear is not a curse, it's a gift.  Use it.

I am very interested to know your own thoughts on this.  I made a lot of assumptions in this post and am curious if anyone agrees, or if I am just crazy.

And so it begins...

-Nick

So there I was sitting at my computer, wondering how to break the new blog in.  After several compositions about the nature of blogging and it's complete lack of use, I decided to just write what I was thinking.  It's currently 12:10, so this will probably be pretty short, and probably won't make any sense at all.  To be perfectly honest I am excited to write this blog, not so I can share my inner most thoughts with the world, but for my own growth.  I think too much.  It is in my nature to be ultra-safe.  Even as I type these words I slowly convince myself to not go on.  That the blog has no purpose or meaning.  I only cling on to this one strand of inspiration, that if I dissuade myself, I will miss a rare opportunity.  I am done missing opportunities because of my hesitant nature.  to leap without looking is a strange concept to me.  I have an odd perfectionist nature about me.  Instead of weighing the potential benefits vs. consequences, I give much greater weight to the consequences.  My "gut" feeling is very pessimistic, therefore I usually decide not to take a chance.  coming to the realization that chances are opportunities is an eye opening experience.  taking chances is what must be done in order to be "doers" and not "theorizers".  So that is the purpose of this blog, to do it.