Daen's Musings #1
Just FYI, Daen is my online handle. It's the nickname I've had on the internet for several decades now. My real name is Gabe, but they're practically interchangeable at this point.
For a long time I've kept a kind of mental journal. Because it's been in my head, it's gotten all jumbled and mixed up. I probably should have started putting this down on 'paper' a long time ago. Still, better late than never, I guess.
I just had a debate with a co-worker. Well, not really a debate. More like two people beating their heads against the opposite sides of a wall. He's a nice enough guy, really. He's not hateful like some of the people I've met online, nor is he passionate like some of the ones I study in order to shape my own philosophy. We've had some conversations, and he's always given me the impression that he's content with the status quo.
Trouble is, the status quo sucks. People's lives are being ruined every day by the status quo. People like my co-worker, who is black, are being shot by police, and that's the status quo!
That's been the general trend of our conversations. I try to provide examples of how stuff is bad, and what we might do to change it. He either disagrees with me on how it's bad, or how to change it, or whether it's worth the cost, or whether it's worth the risk. He has a whole litany of delaying or dismissing tactics in his mind, and I'm reasonably certain they're just the result of how he was raised.
This time was bad, though. He raised his voice at me in anger. He admitted it when I apologized. That's never happened before- it means I have to stop initiating these debates, and wait for him to start them. I don't want to risk cutting him off any more than I already have.
Am I in the wrong here? I truly believe that our system is terrible and needs to be replaced. Not just replaced, torn up by the roots and burned to ash. We need an entirely new way of thinking and acting if we're going to solve even some of these systemic problems. The problem isn't in the message, it's in the delivery.
I'm just one person. I'm incapable of changing society alone. I can't just sit on my hands and do nothing, though! I thought I would change people through my writing, but that's proven much harder to get published than I thought. While I keep at it, I can at least debate the people in my life. As long as I do it carefully. Politely.
