It has just struck me that there's an unusually large number of intelligent and thoughtful people posting here. There's the usual complement of total dipsticks and idiots of course, as you'll find on any Internet message board, and they come and go, but the core of this place seems to me, after several years of surfing and posting here, to consist of thoughtful and intelligent people. There are many of them that I fundamentally disagree with, and the converse is also true, yet reasoned discourse seems to be the norm. I'm an atheist, for instance, and there are some committed Christians here (Hi Jay!) that I have deep differences with, but I can respect their views and they can respect mine while disagreeing deeply about them.
Somehow this place seems to me to be quintessentially Canadian. We are many and varied, we may have fundamental disagreements, but everybody is welcome and nobody's tossed out for having different opinions. You can get tossed out for being a jerk, but not for having different opinions.
So to all of you, I say thank you, for being who you are, for being interested, for caring, and for putting your opinions out there. I have learned much from my lurking here, and from posting, and from reading the responses to what I and others have posted. And I hope I've been able to provide the same services to others.
Blessings upon you all.
Somehow this place seems to me to be quintessentially Canadian. We are many and varied, we may have fundamental disagreements, but everybody is welcome and nobody's tossed out for having different opinions. You can get tossed out for being a jerk, but not for having different opinions.
So to all of you, I say thank you, for being who you are, for being interested, for caring, and for putting your opinions out there. I have learned much from my lurking here, and from posting, and from reading the responses to what I and others have posted. And I hope I've been able to provide the same services to others.
Blessings upon you all.