I was looking back through the archives (Reflective post)
- Thread starter Modbert
- Start date
hjmick
Diamond Member
- Mar 28, 2007
- 29,811
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Well done my young friend, well done. You have indeed grown, in fact I was thinking something along those lines about you just the other day. That you took the time to go back and read some of your early posts and reflect as you have is just another indicator of that growth. If I gave you a tweek now and then when you first joined just remember, I was trying to help you build character... Besides, I have kids older than you.
You, Bert, have been a welcome addition to USMB. I look forward to the next three years.
You, Bert, have been a welcome addition to USMB. I look forward to the next three years.
Me either.
GOP - Ghosts of Perdition (gaming clan)
But ya might like this group:
Gods of Plastic (Ultimate Frisbee team)
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Ernie S.
Diamond Member
Most libs are.
I wasn't terrible at frisbee but I wasn't great either. Oh the disappointment of it all! I couldn't have been a contender......
xsited1
Agent P
You do seem to like structured political parties which is why I said GOP. I can't imagine any thinking person at 30 being a member of the current Democrat Party.
strollingbones
Diamond Member
i hate when little post sperm feels all grown up......you are not even nearly done.....
jillian
Princess
Don't worry. The GOP and the Democrat Party have so much in common it's hardly worth noting the differences.
depends on one's priorities and the issues that matter to you...
jillian
Princess
Hey, Modbert...
On what issues do you think your views have evolved the most? And what changed your mind?
On what issues do you think your views have evolved the most? And what changed your mind?
Devil's advocate signs on usmb, please allow an alternate point of view, youthful self indulgent, me first, look at me, see me crappola. Every teacher today tells me American students are a bunch of whiny narcissistic solipsists, and mommy and daddy defend them. They grow up in upper class families and think they are entitled to life liberty and lots of crap just because they are. Recently my wife a long time teacher was telling how in a meeting with a bratty student she spoke over her parents while my wife told her to shut up. Surprised the hell out the milquetoast parents of today. After you work for many years, serve in the military or other service, get married have kids, raise them well, tutor, experience tragedy, stay married, travel in all circles and talk to everyone, read Stanley Fish (and lots others), come back and tell us about it. Hopefully you remain open and positive about life. If you come back a whiny modern American libertarian tax obsessed conservative, you'll have to wait to be reincarnated as you failed life's lessons that while all is relative, socially constructed, somethings matter more than others. Good luck. DA signing off. 
"Something is profoundly wrong with the way we live today. For thirty years we have made a virtue out of the pursuit of material self-interest: indeed, this very pursuit now constitutes whatever remains of our sense of collective purpose. We know what things cost but have no idea what they are worth. We no longer ask of a judicial ruling or a legislative act: is it good? Is it fair? Is it just? Is it right? Will it help bring about a better society or a better world? Those used to be the political questions, even if they invited no easy answers. We must learn once again to pose them." Tony Judt in 'Ill Fares the Land'
"Something is profoundly wrong with the way we live today. For thirty years we have made a virtue out of the pursuit of material self-interest: indeed, this very pursuit now constitutes whatever remains of our sense of collective purpose. We know what things cost but have no idea what they are worth. We no longer ask of a judicial ruling or a legislative act: is it good? Is it fair? Is it just? Is it right? Will it help bring about a better society or a better world? Those used to be the political questions, even if they invited no easy answers. We must learn once again to pose them." Tony Judt in 'Ill Fares the Land'
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Separating your ego from you POVs makes it possible to be intellectually honest, and also, imore importantly makes it much easier to eventually get it right.
If you cannot admit that you are wrong, if you believe that you are the sum total your POVs and that any disagree with your POV constitutes an assault on your personally, then you're much less likely to ever find the truth and much more likely to be manipulated.
Being open to changes in POV through discovery and debate doesn't mean you're weak or a flip-flopper.
Being open to changes in POV actually means that you're secure enough in yourself to understand that the whole purpose of debate is to discover truth.
If you cannot admit that you are wrong, if you believe that you are the sum total your POVs and that any disagree with your POV constitutes an assault on your personally, then you're much less likely to ever find the truth and much more likely to be manipulated.
Being open to changes in POV through discovery and debate doesn't mean you're weak or a flip-flopper.
Being open to changes in POV actually means that you're secure enough in yourself to understand that the whole purpose of debate is to discover truth.
Thesis + antithesis = synthesis.
Si modo
Diamond Member
I was looking back through the archives and it put me in a reflective mood. So fair warning, this post may or may not be a little long.
I'll have been on USMB three years this September. When I first joined, I was 17 and the youngest member by quite a bit to say the least. I'm pretty sure I still am.
While many people my age really didn't care about politics whatsoever, I was on here at times posting my thoughts on the political happening of the day. Looking back through the archives has given me an opportunity that not many my age have, being able to see how much I have changed here in that time.
I was a lot more confrontational and looking back I can see I made the mistake of taking things personally. Reading my posts on some subjects, looking back I come off as very naive and headstrong. That's not to say my heart wasn't in the right place, because it was. However, with more knowledge and more experience comes some pretty strong realizations about not only myself but my beliefs.
I see some of my posts (about then Candidate Obama, Israel/Palestine and my idea about how Israel can handle it, and religion) come to mind. As do some of my posts about the Death Penalty and guns.
Another example is I look back and see my involvement in the religion/ethics threads and at times I want to grab my younger self when reading and go "Shut the hell up." It probably doesn't help that I was going through a phrase of sorts where I was unsure about where I stood on religion.
I can happily say though that I have long come to terms with all of that and realized that a black and white view of the world is the wrong way to go. Nobody and no institution is perfect, however, those imperfections certainly don't determine the entire character of either the individual or institution.
Does that mean I'm recanting everything I said before this post? Not at all. On some issues, I was dead wrong. On others, I feel I'm still right. On some issues, I feel I was right but I went the wrong way of expressing those views. It helps that with more experience and time, I like to think I have become better at expressing my views and trying to be more mature about it.
Do I regret a fair amount of my former posts? I do in the sense that I wish I was never that naive in some cases. However, I rather post here instead of some Liberal echo chamber where I would never be challenged on anything I say. If I were to do that, I feel I would limit myself as to how much I can learn. I would also probably become intellectually lazy.
So I'm making this post as a thank you to those posters, both still here and no longer on USMB who put up with me as how I was when I first got here and still teach me things today.
I want to give special thanks to Allie, Annie, Article, Care, CG, Crimson, Del, Dis, Divecon, Diuretic, EZ, Elvis, Foxfyre, Gunny, Hjmick, Jillian, Jon, Luissa, Mani, Missourian, Navy, Paulie, Pilgrim, Radio, Ravi, Si Modo, Shogun, Toro, Uscitizen, Valerie, Zoom, and many others who I haven't named. I may not have always agreed with all of you on every issue (and some of you rarely), but you have certainly helped me grow as a person.
That being said, what I hope for is that three years from now when I look back at my posts from around today, I don't have to go "What a moron" too much. If I can accomplish that much, I'll be happy.
‪david bowie - changes‬‏ - YouTube
*Sniff, sniff* Our doggie's growing up so fast, hun.
Modbert
Daydream Believer
- Sep 2, 2008
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[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7miRCLeFSJo]‪Bachman Turner Overdrive - You Aint Seen Nothing Yet‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]
Like I said bones, if I can log on three years from now and look at some of my posts from today without thinking I'm too much of a moron, I'll have accomplished something.
Modbert
Daydream Believer
- Sep 2, 2008
- 33,178
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- #38
Hey, Modbert...
On what issues do you think your views have evolved the most? And what changed your mind?
Gun rights. I can thank Missourian a great deal for helping to educate me on that issue. That, and looking at the statistics, laws, etc.
Israel/Palestine issue also comes to mind. Talking about it on USMB back then with people like yourself made me realize where I was right but also totally wrong on the issue. I had some pretty unrealistic expectations about what could be accomplished with some unrealistic means. Israel/Palestine issue was also one of the first issues that helped me stop looking at the world in such a black and white manner even inadvertently.
Death Penalty. I've gone from completely for it to completely against it. Researching it for a paper, looking at the statistics, disparities, etc really put the whole issue in a new light.
Religion. This part of my OP comes to mind on this topic:
I use to focus on just the negatives of the impact religion has had on society. However, it also has done a lot of good. I've also learned the importance of separating the religion itself from the people who use the religion as a means to an end. That's not to say I was totally anti-religion before. I just had a lot more negative outlook about it.
Nuclear Power. I use to be totally against it, but I'm for it now. Even in light of what has happened in Japan recently. Though it should be noted that was due to a lack of oversight and regulation more than anything. But that itself can be a totally new thread.
France has shown it can be done correctly.Taxes. Thanks to posters like Toro and my own education. Though I can say that Toro has taught me a lot on financial issues and has helped put a lot of things into perspective for me.
Democratic Party. While I don't think they are exactly like the GOP, they have enough issues when it comes to lobbyists and other stuff that prevent me from wanting to become a member.
Civil Liberties. Not so much that I've changed my position (I've always been against the Patriot Act, War on Drugs, etc for example) but rather refined it. I know better arguments to make and better ways to get my point across on the issues.
There's more I'm sure, but that's the stuff that comes to mind at the moment.
WillowTree
Diamond Member
- Sep 15, 2008
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I think it's great Modbert is interested in politics at such a young age.
He got picked on, people quit here when he was made a mod, and people call him names and such, but he keeps on ticking away!
You can't expect a teenager to know it all, though they always think they do.
Props to you Modbert, it's good to hear a young voice on here.
(and no, I still won't let Mini EZ join, even though she wants to. I told her when she's 18 she could)
He picks on people too. He's the main guy who picked on me because of my age.
random3434
Senior Member
- Jun 29, 2008
- 25,899
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I think it's great Modbert is interested in politics at such a young age.
He got picked on, people quit here when he was made a mod, and people call him names and such, but he keeps on ticking away!
You can't expect a teenager to know it all, though they always think they do.
Props to you Modbert, it's good to hear a young voice on here.
(and no, I still won't let Mini EZ join, even though she wants to. I told her when she's 18 she could)
He picks on people too. He's the main guy who picked on me because of my age.
And strolling bones calls him 'spermbert' or something because of his age.
Sorry Willow, we love you and you know it!
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