I was sitting on the subway the other day realizing with great consternation and not a little disgust that every conversation taking place around me was nothing more than a restatement of facts, if even that.

You see, stating a preference ("I love your sweater. How did you get that particular shade of orange?") or pointing out an object of interest ("Look at that cloud. It looks like your mother.") is still simply a statement of fact.

Any depth requires analysis, and any analysis would require ideas and thoughts. But, people have forgotten how to think. And those that still can are too afraid to speak their minds.

We grow up reading Plato and Aristotle and the other great ancient philosophers. Some continue on to read the more modern philosophers (Rousseau, Marx) and contemporary thinkers (Eco, Campbell). You may disagree with their ideas, but there is no doubt that their arguments are intelligent and well developed.

But, who is to say that the woman reading the romance novel next to you on the train doesn't have thoughts and ideas that are just as profound. What about the guy you bought your lunch from?

What about you?

I have spent a fair amount of my limited lifetime traveling. I have met some incredible people with incredible ideas. Some have changed the way I view the world. Some have become charter members of my permanent shit list. Invariably, we talk about life, the universe, and everything. And invariably, the best of them tell me I am wrong and explain why. I may not agree, but I certainly understand. And I grow and I learn and I gain perspective. There is no better way to understand how people think than to provoke them to explain their thoughts to you.

This Web site is a provocation. I will admit I am being selfish. I want to continue to grow and to learn and to gain perspective. And I want you to help me. I want you to read my thoughts. But, I don't want you to agree with me. I write and I talk not to convince the world that I am right. I write and I talk so that the world can tell me I am wrong and explain why.