A New Blog; A Third Voice

Hi everyone, I’m Dalton.

If you’re interested, I would love to tell you what I think.

If you’ve met me in the flesh, you likely know that I am sort of a loudmouth: a bit of an opinion machine. Ipso facto, it should not surprise you that my narcissistic self-broadcast has overflowed to this new endeavour. Sure. I won’t deny it. I’m a narcissist. Still, humour me for a few more paragraphs.

Why a Blog?

Because I need an outlet for my writing. Because I’m a loudmouth who wants to obnoxiously blab his opinions and anecdotes.

That’s nothing new. Truly, we all appreciate an outlet for creative self-expression, and I’ve grown uneasy with massively massive social media companies profiting from our eagerness to generate their content for them. Having a blog permits me to throw my thoughts into a neutral space free from distracting ads for Time War or unwanted notifications for Candy-Cake Farm.

As the preceding sentence foretells, some of what I have to say is, indeed, silly. But it’s not all silly. Most of what I’d like to share—at least in the near future—is the part of my life I kept hidden for a long time. This blog is an opportunity for me to talk candidly about subjects that matter deeply to me, but were challenging to discuss before I opened up about my sexuality. Unsurprisingly, this led to years of silent growth and contemplation, and now I feel somewhat of a responsibility to supplant my silence with discourse, and my prevarication with vulnerability. Thus, in an attempt to “write what I know,” the primary topics of this blog will be sexuality, gender, and faith (though I reserve the right to rant about whatever I darn well please). Let this be a journey—a discussion where your voice matters regardless of your starting point. Come with me.

A Note on Controversy

Speaking generally: as I slowly begin to let go of the folly of my youth, I’m starting to find myself at intersections of seemingly irreconcilable points of view. Maybe you can relate: finding you have one foot on either side of an ideological boundary. At times, I feel I’ve adorned myself in the garb of a raving radical revolutionist, yet in a different context I sense I represent an old-timey redneck traditionalism. Identity crisis much? To put it platitudinously: I sympathize with both sides. To put it sincerely: I stand on both sides. (And from that vantage point, I marvel at how little we work to truly understand those we disagree with.) By addressing all my friends and acquaintances in a public website, I’m blending the contexts. This requires a more sensitive approach than the distant, detached, devil’s advocate I tend to enact.

Pause. At this moment, I’m thinking of you. Yes you! I’m remembering all the people I love; many of whom have starkly different beliefs and experiences. This is a splendid thing, as our differences cause us to grow, but when we don’t sense there is a common ground, we can become defensive. Even a single word can be a beacon of hope to one person, and an omen of horror to another. How can I possibly write on personal yet incendiary topics in a way that is sensitive to everyone? Add to that the medium of the whirled-wide-web: the graveyard of nuance.

All that is to say this: please have patience with me as I attempt to look two directions at once. If I make statements that seem outrageously old-fashioned, consider how that same idea might be new and radical from a traditional perspective. Or, If I sound like I’m advocating post-modern lunacy, maybe I’m trying to present a relatively more traditional point of view to a reader with a progressive reference point. Remember, I’m only an expert on one subject: myself. I don’t pretend to have solutions or answers, only questions, concerns, feelings, and a unique perspective. I’m a learner like you, and I promise I will get at least one important thing entirely wrong. Kindly ready your forgiveness and understanding. If you are ever hurt by anything on this site, please contact me personally. I am not willing to sacrifice relationship just to sound smart on an edgy blog.

I hope my story is a chance for you to peek over the fence. While I doubt you will make a spontaneous volte-face and hop over to the other side, I believe that you will come to know the world a little better. May I be a periscope for the timid inquirer: when we are so strongly divided, it can be hard to truly hear each other, and while there may not always be a middle ground, I believe we should listen for the third voice.

There is always a third voice.

Love, Dalton.