#37 Being who you are

And knowing who you are - That's more important. It is perhaps the quest of life.

I was watching a documentary about Muslim extremists there the other night. Twas a fair an equitable case, but Dad spotted a few Israeli jibes under the table as it were. No such thing as an unbiased opinion. Facts? Those are just commonly held mass accepted opinions. But at least they're something we can all agree on. The ideas I got from the documentary were that some people, when exposed to circumstances which preclude the establishment of healthy ties, will invariably establish ties that bring the individual no good. These ties spread, and society suffers for it.

The documentary highlighted a caveat of free will, and reminded me of a line I read in a Warhammer book 15 years earlier. 'An open mind is like a fortress with its gates unbarred and open'. True enough then that life will present us with individuals who have persuasive language and ideas.

Keep track of your ties that bind. In my case, reading books means I'm less likely to become an Islamic extremist. I'm kidding of course :p

What I mean is a good set of books that you can bolt opinions of your own to will do a better job than a few hours listening to misguided rhetoric. Someone who doesn't know who they are can be easily misled into being someone else for another persons use.

Identity has quantifyable value. It's the currency of the celebrity world.

It is my hope that with the Internet, world peace will become a possibility. There are still language barriers to overcome, but now at least, for the first time, a means of international open dialog exists. With a little know-how and a few button presses, I can get talking to just about anyone else on the planet.