Fences

In the rush of adrenaline caused by starting something new and exciting last night, I forgot to lay down a couple of ground rules. As someone who loves tickling sacred cows, I hate that legalistic term. But how can you break a rule if you don't know what it is? So here are the basics that, at least in my view, make for good conversations: Tolerate dissent. Avoid profanity unless you can make a reasoned, convincing and literary argument that it's totally neccesary to get your point across (I would go about as far as "damn" as in " he's a damned scoundrel"), Otherwise, as I tell my kids, it just makes us look, in that great Philadelphia term" ignorant." It also offends our more sensitive friends, and I want them to feel comfortable. Sex, politics and religion will probably all get some attention here, because our society is fascinated by all of them but please don't be too personal or graphic-there are plenty of other bloggers who are much more expert than I am on any of those subjects! Finally (for now)...play nice. Now that I've scared you off, here's something that puzzles me. Maybe you have an answer. Why is it, do you think, that people with the highest ideals, particularly religious people, can sometimes eviscerate, bloody and do unforgivable things to each another in the name of God? We get nailed for that by non-believers because it seems so blantantly hypocritical and rightly so. Any ideas? If you are a practicing hedonist, we want to hear from you, too.