Formal Fallacy

I’m back.

Sort of.

I haven’t posted in a while.  I haven’t posted consistently in forever.  There are reasons behind this.

1.    My career, however young it may be, is writing.  As strange as it may sound, it is rather difficult to write for fun when I’m behind writing professionally.  Think of Tiger Woods.  How often does TW hit the links for fun, riding around in a golf cart with some buddies and some beers?  That’s what this website is like, minus the golf cart, the buddies, and the beers.

2.    I’m not sure what to say.  This will take some explaining, but first, let me sum up.  When I write fiction, I dramatize (aka, disguise) my opinions and beliefs through characters, conflicts, and metaphors.  However, websites like this require the exact opposite sort of writing.  Plain simple English where I tell the world how I feel.  Now… let me explain…

I’ve been reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.  The Roman Emperor wrote Meditations for himself, as a source of self improvement and guidance, and apparently never intended them to be published.  They are basically a series of quotes where he expressed, rather clearly, his own personal philosophy.  Examples…

Not to feel exasperated or defeated or despondent because your days aren’t packed with wise and moral actions. But to get back up when you fail, to celebrate behaving like a human–however imperfectly–and fully embrace the pursuit you’ve embarked on.

Do not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand years.  Death hangs over thee.  While thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good.

Here are some quotes ABOUT Meditations.(These quotes were found on Wikipedia, FYI.)

Marcus Aurelius wrote down what was in his heart just as it was, not obscured by any consciousness of the presence of listeners or any striving after effect.

Is as much intensity of feeling…as in most of the nobler modern books of religion, only with a sterner power controlling it.  People fail to understand Marcus, not because of his lack of self-expression, but because it is hard for most men to breathe at that intense height of spiritual life, or, at least, to breathe soberly.

My point:  While I’m proud of my skill in writing fiction, I fail miserably in exactly the sort of writing that is required in a website such as this.  I use the words website and post because I hate the word blog.  Too similar to the word blob. 

Most writing teachers use the phrase writing muscle to distinguish the difference between forms of writing.  Drama requires a different muscle than comedy.  Fiction requires a different muscle than non-fiction.  And blogs (ugh) require a different muscle than fiction AND non-fiction.  They require the exact same muscle Marcus used in writing Meditations.  A muscle that I have yet to develop, a muscle that is decidedly weak, and a muscle that I desperately want to strengthen.  One of the hardest things for me to do is to write down “what is in my heart just as it is, not obscured by any consciousness of the presence of listeners or any striving after effect.”

All of this was inspired by the elections.  People talk about who they’re voting for and who they’re not voting for.  I find this fascinating.  Most people can tell you why they’re NOT voting for someone, but they have a much harder time telling you why they ARE voting for someone.  The canidates are the exact same.  They can tell you why you shouldn’t vote for their opponent, but have a harder time saying why you should vote for them.  

I had a conversation with two people over the weekend about their choice for president (this wasn’t our first conversation on the topic).  They are both voting for McCain, even though they are two very socially liberal people.  They told me all the things they didn’t like about Obama, but not once did they mention one of his policies.  Now, some people might jump to the racism conclusion, but that’s not the case.  I’ll vouch for the social integrity of these two people, which is probably why we could have this conversation in a very civil tone.  The truth is they don’t KNOW why they prefer McCain.  They just do. 

Personally, I think this is because most people lack the skill of Marcus Aurelius.  Marcus was able to say exactly “what was in his heart” because he took the time and energy to DISCOVER what was in his heart.

I understand people have a general understanding of what they believe.  They know whether they are pro-life or pro-choice.  Either they believe life begins at conception or they don’t.  But WHY do they believe life begins at conception?  Or why don’t they?  Do they realize that this debate is as old as the bible itself?  Umberto Eco, one of my favorite writers, has a chapter in his book Turning Back the Clock called On the Soul of the Embryo where he chronicled this debate.  I’m paraphrasing, and probably missing Eco’s point, but originally, Origen claimed the embryo had a soul right from the beginning, but the Church initially disagreed because Genesis 2.7  says “And the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”  So the bible states we don’t have a soul until we take our first breath.  But obviously the Church couldn’t stand for that.  Tertullian then formed the idea that the soul was transmitted via semen (how do you like that, female readers?).  However, that idea was shot down because it implied that sex was holy.  So Thomas Aquinas decided that the human soul develops as the baby develops, that our souls have different stages.  This idea was again contradicted by… sigh… I’m going to avoid a debate I don’t want to start, and instead I will attempt to return to my point.   

I use the pro-life and pro-choice argument as an example of people looking for a simple answer to a very complex philosophical question that in truth has no answer.  How can we tell for CERTAIN when life begins?  How can we MEASURE when we first have a soul?  Do we have a soul?  What is a soul?  A lot of people have answers to these questions, but what FACTS support those answers?  And why do people believe one way and not another?  I guarantee you, that if the Romans had a debate on choice, Marcus Aurelius would not only know what was in his heart, but would be able to write it down with an intensity of emotion and spirit that would take your breath away even if you disagreed with him.

I said I would attempt to return to my point.  I halfway succeeded.  I’ll try again.  This post isn’t about people who are pro-life or pro-choice, it is about me.  Specifically, me as a writer.  I can tell you where I stand on the issue.  I can tell you when I believe life begins.  But I can’t tell you WHY I believe life begins when I think it does.  Worse, especially for someone who considers himself a writer, I guarantee I am unable to convince someone on the other side of the fence to come around and check out how green the grass is on my side.  Can you? Why can’t I do and write these things?  Because I’m not Marcus Aurelius.

Finally, after 1,200 words (or 700 words more than a post should have) I reach my point:  I want to be Marcus Aurelius.  I want to know what is in my heart.  I want to be able to say what is in my heart with the breath of clarity and passion that will force those who disagree to stop and listen.  If I can do this without the veil of fictional drama and metaphor, then that will only lift the drama and metaphor I write to the levels I aim to achieve.  I think this is the purpose of my website, or at least, the purpose I am now giving it.  This is the true reason why I haven’t posted consistently in well over two months.  That two month hiatus has probably lost the readers I was starting to build, but since I am taking this website in a new direction, perhaps it will lead me to new readers.

We’ll see.

Chris