(
My Eastern New Mexico News column for February 10, 2021)
When something is important to you, you want to share it. If other people don’t understand it, you want to explain it to them.
You usually want others to like and understand it as much as you do, whether it’s a skill, a hobby, a religion, knowledge, or an idea.
It’s why — besides the remote possibility of making money — people write books and make movies.
It’s why I write these weekly columns and blog daily.
It’s also why I try to help people around me when they ask for my help.
I’ve answered their questions on primitive survival skills, gold and silver and Bitcoin, guns, pets, and liberty. If I don’t know an answer, or don’t have an opinion, I say so.
It’s a good idea to make sure to keep your own limitations in mind. There’s no point in trying to explain or demonstrate more than you actually know.
You also need to wait until your help is wanted, rather than forcing it on anyone. Force isn’t helpful, even if your intentions are good. This is true with physical intervention, but also with your ideas.
No matter how enthusiastic you are, it does no good to chase people down to share your excitement with them. They’ll resist.
Instead, let them come to you. When you put anything on the internet, for example, it’s there (somewhere) as long as the internet exists. This may turn out to be forever.
This could be a bad thing if you’ve made some unfortunate TikTok videos, but it does mean your shared knowledge will be there for anyone to find when they are ready.
This includes email exchanges or other online discussions.
I’ve had a few people write to me years after we had an exchange to tell me they thought I was crazy at the time, but eventually came to agree with me. Sometimes it was someone who had read a debate without participating. There are probably a few who go the opposite direction, too.
Your views may also change over time. If not, it could be a sign you have an ideology instead of a working mind.
Go ahead: share the things you know best; the things you think are important. Share them with willing individuals, when they are open to receiving what you’re sharing. It will probably make your life and the lives of others better, and if it doesn’t, maybe you need to re-examine your interests.
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