It might help to know somethings about me to help understand where some of my point of view comes from. The following facts seem salient:

  • I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This informs my view on various eternal principles and social issues. I am not a prophet, nor authorized to speak for the Church in any capacity. Any thoughts here are my personal understanding and do not hold the Church to any doctrine or interpretation thereof. Links to official Church resources are my endorsement of them, not their endorsement of me.
  • I am a father and husband. Both roles have taught me a great deal, helped me expand my horizons, and given me much to think about.
  • I am an American, but I can sometimes think like a non-American, at least for limited periods of time. I consider myself a patriot, which means I can see areas my country can improve in and try to work to make that happen. I do not believe in American Exceptionalism, but I do think I have a responsibility to make America as great as some people already think it is, even if not for the same reasons.
  • I am not a member of a particular political party, but I do participate in politics. If anything I write lines up with one platform or another, it is a matter of them believing like me, rather than the other way around.
  • I am a software developer and reformed IT specialist, as well as having worked in various trades earlier in life. I tend to create (bad) analogies from these work experiences. You have been warned.
  • I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics. This does not make me good at math, it just means I have taken formal classes in Maths1 and didn’t fail them. The degree has been useful, but doesn’t give me any particular authority on anything I write, even about my career field. However, experiences I had while earning the degree do inform many things, so I point it out here for context.
  • I am a huge fan of fantasy and science-fiction of many different writers and movies. I also tend to insert them randomly into my musings – the blog title itself is a reference to a movie. I tend to quote (or misquote) movies as a form of communication, and make up lyrics to songs the same way. My major musical influence is Weird Al, and my world view tends to be colored by Mel Brooks and Terry Pratchett. This might help explain some things you see herein. I am a Trekkie from the womb on my mothers side, and have found no reason to change – even if I don’t enjoy all the content. This goes for many different fandoms, but are we not blessed to have so much to choose from, some of it truly wonderful.
  • I have an interest in Family History (specifically my own) and with it has come an interest in World History. I am not a historian, and my knowledge tends toward specific things that I know directly affect myself or affected my ancestors, and I try to use it to help me understand things that will affect my descendants. The world is the way it is because of things that happened, and it’s interesting to me to see why.2 I love the history of science discovery, technology (how did they figure that out!) and how people have overcome various trials and issues. We can learn a lot from those who came before us, and pass it to our descendants.
  • I am a white cis-male, and use he/him pronouns. This is important only in regards to my lived experiences. I can’t speak for this group let alone any other that I have not been or am not a part of. I know people from some other groups – formal and informal, which does help me understand things outside my own point of view, but the only person I can speak semi-authoritatively for is myself. However, I also know it creates biases and gives me a certain point of view, and part of my learning process is finding those biases and expanding that point of view.
  • I have ADHD, and was diagnosed late in life. This has brought with it many challenges and experiences which have also informed my thoughts on various topics. Learning to cope with something you don’t know you have leads to lots of exploration, but knowing you have something to cope with is so much easier and faster.

Like all sentient beings, there is more to me than will fit on a list3, and interactions between the items listed here and the unlisted are what makes us individuals. But a bit of context can help us understand each other4, and at least show us where the other persons point of view might be coming from, at least to start5.

  1. Not a typo, I just like the British way of referring to it – if the full name is Mathematics, then shorting it to Maths is just as sensible as Math. ↩︎
  2. The series Connections was a major influence in the awakening of my mind to how things can influence things in very indirect but powerful ways. ↩︎
  3. Like the fact that I love using footnotes. Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett are probably to blame for this one. ↩︎
  4. As long as we don’t make the error of thinking that because we know facts about someone, we understand them or how they view the world. Facts are a part of understanding, not the end of it. ↩︎
  5. It’s also important we don’t pigeon hole people to their past. We grow, and sometimes that growth is radical. When someone becomes themselves in a new way, we need to update our mental model – even if we don’t like the growth or feel it was good for them. We don’t have to forget who they were, but we do need to treat them as who they are. ↩︎

Published 2024-01-02 and last updated 1 year by r2dane2