a long overdue first post... (PLEASE READ!)

dear reader,

  *clears throat*

  this is not the first time i have attempted to write for the general public, but it is the first time that i am openly and honestly declaring that my blog will be for mature readers. when i say mature it is not to denote age. i believe people mature at different ages, and some readers of a younger age might identify with some of my opinions and viewpoints which i will express. i have learned in my life that age is not a clear indicator of maturity. in fact, i have found that too many people allow themselves to hide behind their age as immature individuals.

  more specifically, i have never felt like my age defined me, and i always found it very offensive when elders provided me unhealthy advice and then attempted to validate their viewpoints by saying that "that's just how life is". as a philosopher, this is completely unacceptable to me. i strive for truth and honesty, and sometimes i occassionally have to dabble in helping to administer justice, but that's another story for another time.

  this initial post is intended to prepare any reader whom i might invite, or whom might stumble onto my blog, for a different type of blog. being unexperienced with what others are talking about, i can only assume that my voice is different, and thus would lead me to develop a following. at least, these are my honest intentions. i write because i greatly enjoy the process required in order to communicate effectively with readers. however, i must make it PERFECTLY CLEAR: i am not trying to win anyone over. it is perfectly acceptable that anyone should disagree with my viewpoints. all i ask is that people respect me when voicing dissenting opinions. i aim to avoid being seen as rude or disrespectful, and if someone can reasonably explain how i might come off in this way then i will listen, but i will ignore childish attacks.

  now that i have put down what formal ideas and thoughts i felt were necessary in order to help any reader to feel welcome in reading my post, i hope we can begin to help one another to find a better sense of community, hope, and understanding. while it is true that life is difficult, it is not true that it has to be complicated. ever since i was a small child (i'm a child at heart) i have dedicated my life to seeking truth and understanding, and i feel that i have developed a good enough process to not only make sense of my life, but to hopefully also help others to make sense of their own lives.

  finally, i'm a very open and honest person, so please expect that some of the issues i will discuss will be embarrassing to me.  this will be done in order to avoid sacrificing anyone for the betterment of my opinions. i figure that if i want to discuss uncomfortable topics, i should be the proverbial sacrificial lamb. also, i have always dealt with embarrassment very well, so i'm perfectly comfortable with it. in fact, i kind of relish it, since i have ambitious dreams of standing in the public eye sharing my uplifting and positive opinions on universal themes.

  all dreams have a beginning, but this blog is intended to be a reformatted version of my attempts to pursue my aforementioned ambitious goals. i do hope you all find something you enjoy in my blog.

  please feel free to email me, or contact me via your preferred medium, with suggestions for topics you would like to see discussed. i am knowledgable on a wide range of topics, and sometimes just having a starting point with an opinion is helpful. also, keep in mind that as of the publication of this post i am a student, so i might not always have the time to focus on this blog, but i will do my absolute best to maintain it and propagate it. feel free to pass along links to this blog to friends whom you feel would benefit from reading it.

  and in typical fashion, i am running behind schedule, so, yeah, i gotta jet!