Happy New Year, everyone. This is my final blog post of 2011. I am grateful for all the readers who frequent this blog. I've thought a lot about what I want to say, what "final message of 2011" I think is worth being the last post of the year. I think I figured it out:
Speak Out!
If the life and death of Christopher Hitchens has reminded me of anything, it's the importance of getting involved in the great conversation, speaking out, advocating critical thinking and rational dialogue with others. If we don't speak out, we will never change anything. Silence is consent: qui tacet consentire videtur.
By speaking out, by engaging the world with logic and reason, we promote a lifestyle which values truth. We remind the world and ourselves that truth matters, and each of us has a responsibility for upholding and defending the virtue of inquiry and the value of knowledge. Again, consider Hitchens: agree with him or not, his words, his actions, his life were time and again resounding reminders of how we all should live.
So get out there. Speak out. Blog. Tweet. Update your status. Post thought-provoking pictures. Participate in conversations, both online and IRL. Share links to your favorite articles and blog entries. Spread the word about your favorite bloggers (*cough*me*cough*).
Dead-Logic... Tell your friends.
Don't try to be perfect. Just be you. Don't wait till you think you're able to say everything exactly the way you think it should be said. Don't try to be the next Hitchens or Dawkins or Sagan or Tyson. Just get out there and get involved and speak your mind. Challenge others, and let them challenge you. Change your mind when you are shown to be wrong, and don't be afraid to admit it.
"I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let... let's evolve, let the chips fall where they may."
- Tyler Durden [Fight Club]
Let the chips fall where they may. Stay cool, stay positive, stay active, stay vocal. Don't let nonsense and the proponents of nonsense get to you. If you don't know where to start or what to say, ask yourself this: if you knew you only had one more hour to live - if this was your final moment - if you could broadcast one message to the world, what one thing would you say? When you answer that question, then you'll know where to begin.
Dead-Logic.com
