I
have an admission to make… I may not do as much research as I
probably should for some of my columns. (In fact, that may be
true for alot of my columns.)
The
thing is, I honestly believe that there needs to be a certain
amount of instinct and opinion brought into a conversation. Observational
skills in action rather than just the black and white of numbers
and research. I also believe that this little web site of mine
is a constantly developing, at times learning and at others growing,
place for expression. That sounds wonderfully poetic when it certainly
shouldn’t be that classy. It just means that while I accept responsibility
for my comments, I also know that I’m going to make some mistakes
or just plain change my mind. What I want more than anything though
is to start a conversation… play devil’s advocate… get some different
thoughts and perspective involved when viewing the events taking
place in the world.
In
other words… Don’t take it as my gospel that I believe global
warming is a fraudulent premise because I write articles or make
comments about nature and the progression of things. I do understand
there is something to the theory. Alot to it actually. And I firmly
believe we should be treating each other, and the environment,
better than we do.
The
trouble is… numbers and facts and people lie. (And the people
lie most of all.) They can say anything they want to. And I mean
that for numbers… for facts… and for people. They can
be manipulated and twisted to say anything… support anything…
prove or disprove anything.
I’ve
seen reports created using the same data to show increase and
decreases in work-related injuries. And if you think that should
be simple to figure out, then I challenge you to attend the meetings.
Because after 15 minutes or so, most of us are claiming work injuries
in attempts to get out of the room. As nice as you want numbers
and facts to be… well… they aren’t always so friendly to work
with.
I
admit it… I don’t know much about the economy and what gets the
overall wealth of America and American businesses into a happy
place. I couldn’t tell you if it’s interest rate cuts… investment
in bonds… foreign trade… buying American… funding of public works
projects… a combination of all of this… or nothing at all. But
I do watch the news and see the articles and see what is happening
with my friends, neighbors and local community. And what I can
tell you is that hundreds of thousands of jobs being lost, government
plans talking about food stamp funding five years in the future,
and businesses closing doors forever sure don’t seem like signs
of improvement to me.
Which
brings me to the Backpack.
Quite
often I look at material inspiring my columns as a big question
mark. And I begin my journey from there.
A
few days ago I posted a comment about the
remains of a gigantic snake. The point I wanted
to check out was about a note inside the article, where researchers
used their knowledge to estimate that the climate in Columbia
would have been on average 10 degrees warmer in order to support
the life of such a creature.
Ok…
sure… sixty million years ago… that’s 60,000,000 years
ago… a really, really, really long time.
Still…
the evidence suggests that it was warmer in those days, and there
was life on the planet at the time. And if nature is a constant,
daily series of species becoming endangered or extinct while others
are being discovered or created, perhaps… just maybe… it might
be possible that all of this climate stuff is natural and that
nature will survive, change and move on.
But
I didn’t start this article to talk to you about the economy or
Al Gore. I started it to talk about my columns and essays and
opinions and questions.
Often
times I will find something that interests me. It might be a book…
a movie… a report on the internet… the snow on a branch in the
back yard. Seriously… who knows? But for some reason I start thinking
about it. And I may not have… may never be able to have… all of
the details.
I’m
still going to ask a question or two.
What
I see may not be the reality… but it doesn’t change the fact that
it is the piece I saw, and it is part of my understanding. And
I do so love playing devil’s advocate… even when I actually agree
with the side I’m questioning so aggressively.
It’s
just my opinion. A thought expressed at a specific moment in time.
And all of these professionals that seem to know so much more?
Yeah… well… they were the same experts telling me that Alex Rodriguez
was clean.
I
have never found the source of this quote, but: “Never be afraid
to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark… professionals
built the Titanic.”
So
when you visit In My Backpack… and you find that you
do or don’t agree… I’m looking to entertain and perhaps start
a conversation. I do value your thoughts and feedback. When all
the facts are in, maybe I won’t agree with what I originally said.
But like that gut instinct… that drives you when there is no reason
at all to listen to what it is telling you… more often than not
there is a reason to at least consider what instinct is telling
you and check it out.
Considering
the information… answering the questions… resolving the issue…
it all adds up to finishing the story and settling in for a good
night of sleep. And I invite all of you to question me… e-mail
me… tell what an idiot I am… or occasionally to even say you enjoyed
an article or two. It’s all part of gathering those observations
and adding perspective.