pravuil's Journal: So it begins

The reason I'm starting this journal is to provide some insight into my actions and my discussions. I've done some sort of journalizing before but for now I'd like to focus on a more practical approach than what I've been doing as of late. Usually I'm a pretty candid character. I have a tendency to state unwelcome opinions in most conversations. Some arguments resonate with people, some don't but that's the way it is in this world and I can accept that. I can't apologize for it nor should I defend it.

My time is limited and I don't have a lot of time to refute opinions against my commentary. That's one reason I only post a single comment within each thread. I go through as much world news as I can within an hour to make sure that the world hasn't ended without me knowing about it. I would like to try my best to defend any stance I might have but time sets limits on how much I position I can have on any argument. The way I look at it is that with each new story, with each new headline, we have a new opportunity to further define an argument based on current circumstances. To me the fight isn't waged in battles, it is waged in wars. Until there is some sort of peace or some sort of settlement then our job is far from over. People have lives to live and as much as conversation is important to enlighten our journey we have to remember that the journey itself is most important.

In the course of my journalizing, I've made several points abundantly clear for where I stand. I disagree with the current Republican philosophy. I believe that if this administration was serious about preserving our civil liberties then we would have caught Bin Laden and his known conspirators within the past five years to prevent such a gradual destruction to occur. I believe that using an ulterior agenda to adjust our full force towards Iraq created a spawning ground for terrorism. I believe that until we find these individuals there will be no chance for peace and will cause the US to eventually fade into obscurity. I don't mean to be an alarmist; I just feel that if we don't put a halt to their propaganda then someone will eventually come to aide their call. If the Bush administration fixed this problem outside of election time I would praise them. If this event would take place during election time I would snub them and praise the men and women of our country who truly give more than anyone would dare ask of them by serving in military service.

Outside of politics, I believe that the ownership of patents has created a maelstrom of unnecessary competition. Though I do believe that ownership is a right which should be preserved, I do believe that the majority of the people in this world have brought forth an overly saturated market in terms of ownership and litigation of that ownership. While it can be good for people within the middle class it is bad for corporations who perceive such events as a threat and make unnecessary demands throughout the market. While I might be critical of corporations, I do believe that they have their place. They provide thousands of jobs and spur innovation through their bulk of accumulated wealth. Without these repositories of wealth it would be hard within such a society to motivate individuals to invest in such innovation. In all, law is defined through business. Even though most businesses don't adhere to a democratic operation, they do adhere to a greater system embedded with a check and balance system in which the consumers must utilize to a reasonable extent. It is our duty as a citizen.

The last position concerns Linux and it's role within the world. I support Linux, I criticize Windows. In reality I still use Windows more than I do Linux. I will be lauded as a hypocrite for saying that but my position is in transition. I am slow when it comes to change. I have a tendency to be overly meticulous when it comes to functionality and the little details found in things. When I say I support Linux it's because I understand the limitations Windows has over Linux. I understand that price has created an influx of competition from struggling countries. I understand that Microsoft takes a stance which leans towards the business sector more than it does the consumer base. When I first saw an ad banner in an embedded Microsoft product on a default install, I realized how far gone this company has gone in terms of respecting user rights to ownership of a purchased product. Linux might not be perfect but it is modular and it focuses more on actual usage and security than it does on sorting through advertisements which can lead to serious security breaches. I also believe that Microsoft has stifled innovation by hurting the programming sector more than helping. Some innovations have been beneficial but the majority has slowed things down more than they have helped. Linux might be a lot of things dreamt up by idealists but the fact of the matter remains that it involves itself with discovery more so than any other OS on the market today.

The last leg of my spiel will ask who am I to have this opinion. Who is behind the shroud on anonymity? I'm really no one special. I'm just a guy that had a lot of downs and a couple of good ups every once in a while. I'm pretty much a self made man. Well, as much as I can say for now. I started programming when I was four years old on a TRS-80 and haven't stopped since. Even though most of the stuff I've learned throughout my life was through a lot of hard-knocks, I would have to say that I don't regret one single moment of this rough ride I call my life. I wish I can say that I was educated in a good college or any college for that matter. Instead, I guess I just have to put up with myself until the day I die. Saying this, I know there will be those that will say, "What gives him authority to have an opinion?" Maybe I'm being too critical by raising that question but if we ignore this and allow such short mindedness to continue, how will we ever grow? I might not be an authority over anything except my experience but I am human just as much as the next man. I have an inherent right to move, to see, to hear and to understand. I also have the right to perceive and misinterpret realities that surround us everyday just as much as anyone else. I have the right to live and the right to motivate and be motivated. I have the right to choose. I have the right stand by what I believe in is right and wrong. I have the right to make mistakes and learn from then. I have the right to correct those who I deem need to be corrected. I have the right to leave them be. I have the right to have faith in things I cannot control. I have a right and I have the right to use it. If we forget any one of these rights we hurt ourselves as a whole. No one man is God for God is the only thing that never changes. To believe that we do not change is to believe that no one person can share their existence with you. While there are good exceptions to stay clear of, one cannot allow themselves to do this with everyone over the entire stint of their lives. We adapt, we evolve, we survive and we overcome.

In conclusion, after sitting down and reading this long drawn out spiel, I hope you come to understand that regardless of your stance we are all here living out our own individual paths. While belief can be shrouded through both opinion and fact, belief defines who we are as individuals amongst it all. Identity can be elusive sometimes. I hope things get better. I hope for the best and regardless I will keep going forward.