The Dare.

After browsing through years of old blogs, I realized that very little has changed in my life. True, my scenery has changed, and so have friends and cars and possessions. But, on second thought that's not exactly true. The biggest change in my life has been the slow and steady loss of possessions. I own less today than I have at any point in my adult life. Obviously it hasn't phased me much. Yet reading through my old entries has left me with a sour taste in my mouth. I quickly realized that I'm writing the same things I wrote years ago - again and again. Hundreds of essays with nothing more substantial than a seesaw between philosophical woes and spirited enthusiasm to breaking the normal paradigm of things. If any mental or spiritual progress has been made, it's sluggish at best. I am boring.

The Navy seems, to me, to be a test. It's nowhere near as noble as a test from God (but then who can tell?), but a dare to see if I am really as eager to be challenged as I claim to be.

I am daring myself to act.

We will see.

In the meantime, I have finally found the joy of writing for my own benefit. My writing has always been geared towards an audience of some sort - as if I had something to prove. Yet I found myself recently writing for myself - a pleasant revelation. And an accidental one.

I would rather use this blog to document some of those personal thoughts - as well as the things I learn. We so easily forget information - why not condense the most profound thoughts I encounter here?