I used to be interested in everything.

[soapbox]

I think for a long time I was like a Bayesian Filter that had no rules or updating status.

I just culled data as readily as it was available to me. I was interesting in everything. Really. Languages, culture, music, food, space, science, technology, art, religion, games, film, etc.

If it was a topic, and people could discuss it, I would listen and attempt to cull from them useful, processed information that I could re-use later either in other conversations or in times when I needed that data to make informed decisions.

However, within recent years I've begun to specialize. I ignore things like turn-based strategy games (no fun), art-house films about death (heavyhanded and overly political) and this month's popular 'world music' (people only listen to it because it makes them feel cultured).

I think this specialization is a natural and healthy part of human maturation. We learn that there are limits to what we can know and why we can know it. A wiser person still learns that this means when coming across topics in which we have no specialty or skill, we should remain close mouthed and not attempt to interject an uninformed and graceless opinion of our own.

In this way we retain our dignity and humility, leave the airwaves free of opinions both unqualified and irrational in nature, and manage to make the world a better place.

Think of it as keeping the national psyche free of detritus. I guess I imagine it as a way of avoiding mental littering.

I think I'll turn it into a sort of public education campaign. Similar in nature to those signs you see about "keeping our city/town/state beautiful!" Please, help keep our national mind clean and healthy. If you are ignorant, do us all a favour and remain silent.

[/soapbox]

p.s. No, the irony that I posted such a commentary in my blog does not escape me.

Post P.S. This essay was completely untargeted. If you think it was written about you: you're wrong.