Mean what you say and say what you mean. (#1086)

Consistency in principles is what defines us as more than just a person who has no clue. I look back on my life and see that the choices I have made concerning the foundational principles of my life have stayed the same. That old saying of "When I was young I was a liberal but as I got older I became a conservative" doesn't hold validity with me. Certainly, in a physical sense I am not as full of hubris as when I was young but, in my principles of what is right and wrong and good and bad, my principles have not changed but a little. Like all things, a little updating on values is necessary as time and space continue to change our overall environmental psychology. However, the core principles for determining my thoughts and actions has never changed since I became aware of how I want to live life. Granted, I have not lived up to my core principles during my life like I should have but that was by choice and still to this day confounds me that I allowed myself to be what others would like instead of being what I liked. I take what my experience has been as an indicator of what ails our society. The pressures and stresses that we all feel due to expectations and demands, ritualized within our political/religious/socio-economic system, does more to blunt the ability we have to stay grounded in our own principles than at times we can combat. We are often forced to decision making processes devoid of our character's best wishes. Some say that compromising is the better value, but I say not in the arena of our principles. I am all for compromise when it involves artificial structures that inherently become more inclusive. What we all should be focused toward is our best natures in both thought and deed.