As part of my growth, one of the things I want to do every year, is to look at what I believe, the underpinnings of who I am morally, spiritually (though the atheist in me cringes at the word). What are my belief structures? What makes me tick? I think this will be a beginning of the year thing, rather than the end. The purpose is to give me something to look back at in the coming years, to see how my beliefs have changed, and to remember what’s important to me.
What I Believe
I believe in cheering for the underdog. I believe people are inherently good. I believe in the Oxford comma and in two spaces after a period — and if that makes me a fucking Luddite barbarian, so be it. I believe that meditation works. I believe that you can be an atheist and still have a moral foundation. I believe in democracy. I believe that communism works — in groups of three people or less. I believe in being the Big Spoon. I believe in the power of words to change everything from a moment to the course of history. I believe in a friendship that you have someone’s back, but that you call them out on their shit, too. I believe in leaving the world a better place than I found it. I believe that it’s okay for parents to have a favorite kid…and that that favorite will fluctuate from day to day and week to week. I believe in football but I won’t let my kids play it until the head/neck injury issue is resolved. I believe in the power of an adrenaline rush to put life into perspective — roller coasters, skydiving, bungee jumping, even sketchy high-speed mountain biking, are all things that should be approached with fervor and enthusiasm. I believe in a manned space program and that we should be spending far more on ours. I believe a social democracy is the best thing for this country. I believe that anyone who is poor, a minority, or gay, is doing themselves a major disservice by voting Republican. I believe that solo sports and team sports are equally awesome. I believe that too many wide receivers are prima donnas. I believe that good communication makes for great sex. I believe that you should walk a mile in another man’s shoes, especially when your belief structures are diametrically opposed. I believe that everyone should be afforded a trip to another country for two weeks, preferably where they don’t speak the language and their skin color sticks out. I believe my country doesn’t do enough for its veterans and it rushes to war too quickly. I believe the Olympics should be for amateurs only and that the pros should fuck right the hell off. I believe that nothing beats the tactile feeling of a good book, but goddamn e-books are great for shelf space and always having a wide selection immediately on-hand. I believe that Buzz Aldrin should be allowed to punch whomever the fuck he wants for whatever reason he wants to. I believe that Jesus was a dude, but that he had serious delusions about his parentage and great ideas about how people should treat one another. I believe that the word “brifters” is a pox upon the sport of cycling, even if they’re fucking awesome. I believe in that moment of intense eye contact between a kiss and what comes next. I believe that Minneapolis is the greatest city in the world in which to live. I believe in Minnesota winters even when I complain about them. I believe that LEGO® is the greatest toy in the history of ever. And I believe that spewing things from the subconscious into WordPress, like this post, is useful for me, and might even be entertaining for you.
Now. A challenge: what do you believe in? Comment below with your spew, or write it in your own blog, and link to this post for the trackback that’ll be shared with everyone.