Disagree without being disagreeable

In the last Rural News, The Hound had some great comments around the current Government's controversial $55 million Public Information Journalism Fund.

Personally, I think one would have to be incredibly naïve to ever think any government heavily pouring taxpayers' dollars into the media like this is all about the publics' wellbeing and its love for our people! They have no vested interest in this? Yeah, right!

The so called 'benefits' for we the people may capture the nice cosmetic smiley-faces of the advertising and media talk-show market. But history instructs us much more sinister stuff usually hides well back in the shadows.

Before you jump to the wrong conclusion and hastily tag me as a conspiracy theorist, let me remind you of some accurate history: Governments have conspired against their own people since governments began! Examples abound, both historically and currently. I could quite easily refer to more examples than my word space allows.

I grew up being encouraged to think things through for myself. I was taught that I have been given a good brain and was encouraged to make the most of it. Like, for starters - use the thing! Yes, freedom instructs me to not allow others to do my thinking for me.

I also learned that maturity allows you to disagree without being disagreeable.

The words of other humans dor not determine my future. For many years now, I have never felt threatened by colleagues or friends that saw some things differently to what I did.

I grew up with folk where voting was seen more as a personal and private thing. Politics never had us having public adult-sized tantrums with each other either. We simply got on with lif and living together as fellow travelers, here on our part of this tiny planet.

At no time did I ever consider any of the stuff directed at me to be hate speech. Nope, our attitude was "we've got this"... after all, we are the adults in the room!

Here are three of my favourite quotes on this:

"Without freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech." - Benjamin Franklin.

"Once a government is committed to the principle of silence the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear." - 33rd US President Harry S. Truman.

And finally, one for the farmers: "If the freedom of speech be taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter." - 1st US President Gen. George Washington.

One of my good friends informed me that our world suffers from 'hurry sickness'. Many are in such a hurry they have no time to think for themselves.

The pressure is on to keep up the pace, so the easiest option seems to be, let others do your thinking.

My thoughts? Slow down some and give some time to think through some of the challenges we face as a nation, and some deeper life issues. Maybe even some God stuff.

You might get a surprise at what you learn. Your general health and wellbeing will benefit, just for starters.

God bless.