Consistency

It scares and confuses a LOT of people.

They want you to make exceptions for those they worship.
They want you to make exceptions for State policies and "laws" they like.
They want you to make exceptions for things they choose to not understand.
They simply want and need exceptions to give room for some inconsistent positions.

And, I try hard to not leave room for inconsistencies- but I'm quite sure I'm not perfect.

It won't gain you friends among these people to be consistent. I've known that for a long time.

Although I've seen it for years, it still disappoints me every time I am reminded of it- at least when I see it in people who claim to love liberty. I don't really expect it of statists, since all statism hinges on inconsistency.

Which leads me to something else.

Whenever I find people disliking me for some of my opinions, it inspires me to examine those opinions. It's very possible I am wrong. If I'm unsure about something, I'll let you know (abortion, for example). But as long as I'm sure, I won't be timid about saying so. And my certainty is always provisional; subject to change in the face of new information. But, when I look at their objections and see inconsistencies in their position, as much as I might want to change my views to make them like me again, I just can't do it. I would end up disliking myself. It's not worth the cost.

It bothers me that some people dislike me. It shouldn't, I know. But it does. If I were doing this for popularity, I'm going about it the wrong way. I should be blogging about Minecraft, or comic book hero movies, or the new Pokemon game. But those things are not important to me. Maybe I shouldn't be blogging at all, if I only wanted to be liked.

I'm not one of those who tries to make people dislike me, or gets some sort of validation from it. I have never once thought "everyone hates me, which just proves I'm right!"

And, yet...

That probably explains the drop in page views recently. I had wondered if the tone of my writing had changed after my daughter's tragic death, and was causing readers to drift away. But now I suspect it may be something else more fundamental. And I guess it explains the steady drop in subscriptions and donations over the past few months, too. I know some is due to the economy, but apparently not all. People aren't going to support those they dislike- I wouldn't expect them to, nor would I want them to. It violates the "everything voluntary" position I support. If you want out, now is the perfect time to end your subscription without guilt.

Maybe this is me being consistent again, or maybe this is me being inconsistent, crazy, stubborn, or whatever. I can't accurately judge that from this perspective.

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