You're on your own out there, kids.

This journal/column serves multiple purposes for me. One, it allows me to write on a daily basis. Two, it allows me to vent on subjects that happen to catch my ire. Three, it is to inform and entertain. I want you to think about the things I write here. I want you to feel something while reading these little missives. You see, the object is to engage you.

It doesn't matter if you agree or disagree, and I would encourage you to argue, debate, scream, yell, or do whatever you with in the response threads. Sometimes I may engage in the ongoing debate with you. Sometimes I'll leave you to the wolves.

But please feel free to put in your two cents.

I, for one, can't understand why anyone would write in an engaging, confrontational manner and then get upset when arguments erupt. The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself. Faulkner said that. He was correct. But when writing like that hits the airwaves, people are going to get emotional. It's good for them. They get to explore their own beliefs. They engage their minds and vociferously defend or refute the truths they hold in their heart.

And sometimes, they learn something that helps them grow.

That's the nature of debate. It's not rhetorical. We argue to examine and learn.

The world of ideas is an ocean of opportunity. Please get in and swim, but remember, there is no lifeguard on duty.

Joseph Haines, signing off from The Edge of The Abyss