A few closing thoughts on the day

The day began early as I didn't sleep as soundly as I would have liked.

Seems like the days are busy and progress is being made, although it is slow.  But I repeat myself.  I'm looking at a Monday departure date now.  Hopefully, there are no more delays.

What I had hoped to accomplish has been narrowed down considerably.  This is more of a fact finding trip now than an anticipatory series of moves to relocate out West.

That was my day until I talked with Wishbone.

What a conversation.  Of course we noted all the news lately.  Wishbone likes to argue and I do not.  So, when I smelled an argument coming, I ducked out of the conversation.

I felt I had to correct him about Christianity.  He thinks Christians are soft.  Well, that might be an accurate observation there, but it is not true of the religion throughout its history.  If Christians weren't tough, they never would have survived.  I mentioned that today's Christians need to toughen up.  That's why they are being rolled so much.  It leaves the impression that they are soft and that only invites more aggression.

He started to get into an argument about Capitalism v Communism.  He has admired Communists before, so I smelled an argument right there.  I know my brother.  It is pointless to start arguing with him because he argues for the entertainment of it.  He doesn't probe for truth, but argues for a "victory".  It's all a war to him.  A battle.  Everything in life is a battle to some people, and my brother is like that.

That's why I wrote about Solutions v Conflict.  We have that in our culture.  There are a lot of people who want the battle, but care little for the truth.  That's what I find most unproductive about my arguments with Wishbone.

To them, my solutions probably seem too "pie in the sky", too visionary", and/or "too kumbaya".  The trouble with Wishbone and a lot of people is that they like the conflict better than they like the truth.  It's all about the entertainment, not the problem solving.

We have problems and we have solutions.  But we can't solve any problems if we are bashing each other's heads in.

Such is the contrast.  I am willing to be a warrior if that is what it takes, but I don't think that it is always necessary.  For some people, that's all they seem to live for.