All Good Things...

It was perhaps a dozen years ago when I first really started frequenting various blogs on the internet on a regular basis, with most of them being of a political or religious nature.  On one site that I frequented fairly regularly, the host of the blog stated that I seemed to have a lot to say and perhaps I should get my own blog accordingly.  I am relatively certain that he was not being complimentary towards me, but nonetheless, I took up his suggestion and nine years ago today Saving Common Sense was born.

Early on I had some very supportive readers of all political stripes.  Indeed, even those followers with whom my opinions on politics did not match ended up being thoughtful folks with which to debate and share ideas.  Oh, there was always the occasional troll, but by and large I found blogging to be stimulating and interesting as I shared my opinions, thoughts, and ideas with my fellow brothers and sisters in the blogosphere.  Further, based on the feedback I would receive, it appeared that many of my readers felt similarly.

I went through some years where a busy work schedule or my late wife’s illnesses kept me from blogging very much, but I always found my way back to the key board eventually.

I have made some pretty good on-line friends over the years that I would not have met otherwise.  I am grateful that these good folks came into my life accordingly, even if some of these friends are absolute nut jobs when it comes to their politics or world views.  I am sure they chuckle as they are saying the same thing about me.  And that is okay.  With them, we can still agree to disagree and still be friends.  That is as it should be and what I had always intended.

Sadly, in the last few years, things seemed to change and the internet became a far darker and less friendly place.  With it, my tolerance for some of the over-the-top nastiness and hatred has become very thin, to say the least.  It is amazing the “courage” some people find to write the most atrocious things about others when they can do so from the anonymity of the internet.  It is those certain folks that refuse to debate or offer opinions on the issues without conflating it with their political adversaries and making it personal to which I rapidly grew weary.  It is this ugliness and hatred that ultimately made me decide it was time to move on as Saving Common Sense was no longer the forum that I had once intended it to be.

I relished the past days when brilliant, humorous, and never nasty folks such as John Myste would stop by, offer his unique and always interesting insights, and then make me laugh even when poking fun at me.  We have now unfortunately morphed into a place where ugliness grows.  No longer can we good naturedly jibe with our friends and political opposites, it seems.  Now we have to dehumanize, marginalize, and act hatefully in the worst ways towards each other.  Sadly, I have even caught myself falling into this trap on occasion.  I have seen this vileness in some take the forms of questioning another’s faith and salvation to “hoping” that a person’s disease would hurry up and take its course.  I am disgusted by this and the people that think this is okay.  I am trying be a better Christian than I really am, and will continue to pray for these folks.

All of that said, there are still some good folks that don’t share most of my views that still come by and offer their thoughts.  For the Woodenman's and TB3's and a few others out there, I am sorry.  I will miss their viewpoints and conversation.

So it is with regret and a little sadness that I must bring to a close this blog.  As of now, I will leave it up and may or may not allow further comments to be posted, but I will no longer actively be monitoring the site.  Nine years is a good run, but the time has come to move on to better and more fruitful and uplifting projects.  I’ll be sure to post here when the new site is up and running. 

Good wishes and Godspeed to you all!