A Personal Story – An Introduction – “A Tale of Ideas”

I was curious about the world.

I still am. I don’t know if you want to hear my story – but for any great story to become great, it must first be told. This is how I began.

As a child, my questions all started with the word “Why?”, trailing off with the desire to understand some novel concept. I was always looking to learn something new, starting off in the distance, as if I were squinting to see something no one else could. Sometimes, I did it for other reasons...

My curiosity led me to the internet.

By twelve I was learning Java, programming bots on IRC to perform tasks for me, playing online games and interacting with people twice my age, few of whom knew mine.

It was the strategy that reeled me in. And It was the age gap that kept me there. I thought I just liked the people I interacted with, but, in reality?

It was being surrounded by people who knew more about the world than I did, people who had their own ideas.

This is something that has stuck with me in life, despite having moved on from that world quite some time ago. For years after I left it, though, I felt alone. But I enjoyed every minute of my life, as that picture shows.

I wasn't lonely for lack of friends. Or social interaction.

It was the lack of ideas that existed all around me.

People stopped asking questions – they stopped trying to figure out the right questions to ask.

Those questions start out short, and simple, though they may have no easy answers.

When one tries to find the answer, more questions inevitably arise, and the journey continues. Knowledge expands as new paths are travelled, new ideas integrated.

I’m here to show you what the world could look like, if it had the right ideas. This community, from what I’ve seen so far, asks good questions, and rewards those who help answer them. It is my hope that this community will provide me with a challenge, a place where I know there are people I can learn from and grow with.

To add value in my own way, I’ll be writing a series of short stories.

They'll typically be no more than 300 words, demonstrating a simple situation, principle, or experience. They'll end with broad, controversial statement(s) or question(s). Topics will cover the nature of government, the morality of business, areas of science like energy and space exploration, and some of the seemingly irrelevant daily decisions we make (hint, they are very relevant).

I’m interested in discussion, in helping people explore their ideas and changing beliefs that might be flawed. And in learning from all of you. This series will provide an outlet for this type of discourse.

I’m thinking it will be called “A Tale of Ideas & A Whale of a Question.”

There’s a commitment I need to make to do that effectively. I commit to you here, in a verified introduction post, that I’ll remain as objective as possible in any discussion – that I won’t assume I’m correct in my own interpretations, and that I’ll be open to new perspectives, provided they are backed by reason and explanation.

Drawn from Flickr with a CC commons license.

I expect I’ll piss some people off. But I also expect the community to learn from my stories, and to look deep within themselves on topics that matter.

Here are a few other things I’ll be writing about soon, which will be much less focused:

• A Trip to Pittsburgh, PA
• Key Takeaways from The 2017 Objectivist Summer Conference (philosophy)
• An exploration of New England (primarily MA, NH, ME, and maybe VT) with @mktom79
• Strategies for finding motivation and setting relevant, actionable goals
• Random photos from places in the past with some basic information and a google map location

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Verification:

And a FB Profile Link.

Quick hits biography:

Age: 26
Education: Master’s Degree in Leadership, background in Business and Mathematics
Work: I’ve been everything from a cart pusher to a school teacher to an automotive facility manager.
Random Accomplishments: 3 profitable (but small) business ventures, written a book on Chiropractic Care with former Ms. USA Dr. Stephanie Mills (2014&2015)
Goals on Steemit: To write engaging, intriguing content that will spark productive discussion. Oh, and to make enough cash that I can afford to take the time to continue writing. 😉

I’m happy to be here, and I hope my reception from you all shares that sentiment. It sort of goes without saying, but if you're interested in any of these things, give me a follow. You can also start dropping details you'd like me to use in my stories - names, places, etc. I'll tag you if I use your ideas.

Onward!