Today's thoughts brought to you by xkcd:

I was (obsessively) reading my RSS feed when I found this very intelligent discussion on thinking people's deadly sins. It's related to the Catholic Church adding seven more sins, of which I don't agree with their presentation or contents entirely. But, this article does point out some really interesting things.

The one that really struck me was #7: Silence. Some (good number of) years ago, I didn't bother voting but I also didn't really care what happened. Then, one day, I realized that I suddenly cared. But, before I opened my mouth, I remembered one thing that I have believed in: if you say something sucks, the next thing out of your mouth better be how to improve it. Also, I didn't have the right to complain if I didn't vote. So, the next week, I registered to vote. And I did. I haven't complained about any politician from before that point because I never felt the right.

Two years ago, I realized I had to do more than just vote for my beliefs. So, my other byline, the one that I can't shut up about, grew to start talking about that. Decisions and comments on laws, actions by our politicans, etc. I talk about things, I refuse to be silent and I write to my representatives fairly often. And, surprise surprise, I don't always use the form letters EFF or ACLU suggests. I read the proposed laws and write an entirely different letter based on my opinions and my reading.

There are days when I'm afraid to speak out. There are times when I know that I'm not arguing on the popular side of things. I saw what I feel is right, even if it isn't politically correct. Yeah, I keep it separate from here, but I happen to believe that certain politics, regardless of what side they argue for, don't belong in certain professional circles.

Of course, when I look at the smart person's seven deadly sins, does that mean I think I'm a smart person? :)