Introduction

Keeping my opinions to myself has proven to be one of the hardest things in my life. For years, I've considered it an obligation of mine to share my logic, insights, conclusions, expertise, and lack of expertise with any poor unfortunates within earshot.

It hasn't helped that people within my sphere of influence keep telling me that I write well. I write a letter to my city councilperson and she comments on my writing ability. I take a journalism class and the professor overlooks typos because my overall style impresses her. I write copy for a new workbook, and my boss barely checks it, assuming he'll be as pleased with it as he always has been.

The problem is, of course, that there are a lot of people who write well. And I fear that sometimes the reason it looks like I'm one of those people is because there are so many people who can't write a simple sentence.

So my apologies to readers of this blog who are looking for great literature. If I can convey what I want to say in a manner you understand, I hope you'll overlook the fact that my writing may not read like Tolstoy or Shakespeare. At the very least, I hope my writing doesn't get in the way of what I want to say, because I really want my readers to think about the concepts, ideas, and logic I plan on writing about.

Believe it or not, there are some writers who I think are so good, there are times when I'm reading their work and I get lost in the beauty of their prose, and the topic they're writing about almost becomes secondary. Perhaps it's best that I can't write THAT well - I wouldn't want you to lose track of my opinion by getting lost in my mastery of the English language. Thankfully, this editing pane has a spellcheck feature, so hopefully I'll remember to use it.

Why 'States of Mind'?

My blog is called "States of Mind" for a couple of reasons. First, my blog's URL is "nymetx", representing three states in North America in which I have obtained the bulk of my life experiences. I'm proud to be a native New Yorker - Brooklyn, in fact. My mother is from Maine, and my family has spent several wonderful summers in coastal Hancock County. Currently, I live in Texas, which while not a beautiful state, certainly offers a surprising variety of events and personalities to observe.

Second, I would like to work off of the phrase "state of mind" as I explore themes of logic and thinking. A lot of what I see happening around us today wouldn't happen if people thought logically about their actions and the ramifications of those actions. While to an extent logic can be tought, the ability to think logically is a tool most normal human beings come equipped with if they'd just avail themselves of that tool.

Ready... Get Set

Maybe this will be a blog that runs out of steam. Maybe people will read it once and be so nonplussed that they never return. Maybe my friends will read it more out of obligation than interest. Maybe some big company will want to pay me big money to advertise on it. Maybe Google doesn't allow that...

Like most everything else in my life, I'm not sure where this blog will go. Maybe its best use will be to help me learn to write better. Maybe some people will be confronted with another side to an issue and consider re-thinking their position. Maybe I'll be able to convey my faith so effectively that the lives of other people are touched through this blog.

As long as you stick with me, we'll see where this thing goes together! Thank you for joining me.