this is where i hideout

It's nice to be almost done recording. Tomorrow night should finish things off, and then all that's left is mixing, mastering and duplication. Sweet, sweet post-production.

Other than that I'm really thankful for freedom of speech. It's nice to be able to say whatever I want to say. I've been thinking about how sometimes people (including myself) are afraid of that freedom though. It's almost like even though we can say whatever we want, we're still somewhat scared of the reaction it will bring from others. I wish it wasn't like that because I think there is a lot of value in voicing your opinions and having people react to them. Yes, even if there is criticism. For me anyway, dialogue brings about thought, and thought brings about dialogue, if the company is right. And thought effects everything. Also valuable is argument, if it occurs without anger (frusteration though is valid). A good argument helps both parties to see things in a different light, and opens the mind to possibilites. The problem is that most people are afraid of arguments as well (again myself included, some of the time).

Generally I've been thinking lately about thinking for myself. That was an awkward sentance. Sorry. Actually I've been thinking about everyone thinking for themselves. It bothers me how we take things for granted. This applies to anything. We take certain things to be the be all and end all truth without researching the subject for ourselves. And what bothers me more is that I am told that I should just accept things for what they are. Well really, how do any of us know what is?

I think that anything we can learn from another human being comes from human experience. And each person's experience is different, and therefore can only be taken as an example, to be reflected upon, not taken as absolute truth. Even things like spiritual writings have all been influenced somewhat by human experience, even if they are "divinely inspired". This is not to say that they have no value, not at all, but rather that truth is not necessarily laid out in front of us neatly, and that we might have to discover it for ourselves, from our own experience. After all, if we are created in the image of God and if He lives inside of us, truth dwells within. Therefore we should be able to cross-examine any outer truth with the truth in us. The only problem here is that we have been so conditioned by external forces that we are sometimes unable to determine what actually exists on the inside. I guess the only thing to do is get to know ourselves, then, we will know the truth.

Goodnight.