Nuance: How Much Is Too Much?

Nuance: “sensibility to, awareness of, or ability to expressĀ delicateĀ shadings (as of meaning, feeling, or value)” – Merriam-Webster Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nuance

Nuance is all around us. In almost any subject, if you dig down deep enough, you can find it. Sometimes it can be useful, especially when dealing with confusing terms or terms that people aren’t all too familiar with. However, there comes a point when there’s too much nuance. When nuance is used to pick apart well-established terms that have come to a consensus by the general population, that’s when it can start being a nuisance.

For instance, let’s take a look at the term “unconscious.” What does it mean? Well, let’s take a look at the definition of it.

Unconscious: “when a person is unable to respond to people and activities.Ā Doctors often call this aĀ comaĀ or being in a comatose state”– Medline Plus https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000022.htm

So, basically the term “unconscious” means “not moving.”

Now, let’s define sleep.

Sleep: “the natural, easily reversible periodic state of many living things that is marked by the absence of wakefulness and by the loss of consciousness of one’s surroundings, is accompanied by a typical body posture (such as lying down with the eyes closed), the occurrence of dreaming, and changes in brain activity and physiological functioning, is made up of cycles ofĀ non-REM sleepĀ andĀ REM sleep, and is usually considered essential to the restoration and recovery of vital bodily and mental functions” – Merriam-Webster Dictionary https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleep

Sleep also pretty much means “not moving.” Not only that, but it has unconscious in the definition itself.

Now, since we have defined both “unconscious” and “sleep,” is it possible to say that “sleep” is a form of unconsciousness?” Technically, yes. However, when most people are talking about sleep and unconscious, there’s a general consensus that sleep happens naturally and unconsciousness happens unnaturally. Unconsciousness is not the norm and would happen during a time that one would not expect it. Not only that, but bodily functions are still functioning when one is asleep (i.e. breathing, heartbeat, brain activity, etc.). When someone is unconscious, none of that is happening. A person is basically on the verge of dying if they are unconscious. Also, sleep is easily reversible, while being in an unconscious state is not. So, there’s a HUGE difference between the two terms. That’s the nuance between the terms, and that’s critical. However, if a person plays a bunch of semantics games with words and definitions, everything can be made to mean almost anything one wants it to. If you dig down deep enough, nuance can be used to come up with all sorts of definitions. Now, does it mean those nuanced definitions are wrong? Not necessarily. However, they can offer new perspectives on well-established terms, their definitions, and how we use them.

With that said, there still needs to be terms that are well-established and agreed upon by many, for there needs to be something in place when dealing with language. From there, nuance can be used as a tool to pick apart terms, synonyms to terms, antonyms to terms, etc. Nuance should be used wisely, because it can technically be used to pick apart every term under the sun. When doing that, credulity can become strained and no one would take a person’s points seriously if they apply nuance to every word in existence. However, I do think nuance should be applied to terms that are problematic, have a history, or deal with issues in society, because there should be conversations revolving those terms, and nuance can bring about those conversations.

In short, nuance can be both a tool and a nuisance, depending on how it’s used. In some cases, it can be a tool that can start conversations, and in other instances, it can be a nuisance that could potentially derail conversations. One needs to use their own judgment when using nuance, and determine for themselves whether or not it should be applied, and how it should be applied, because at the end of the day, there’s nuance in almost everything. 

Superficiality, Materialism, and Priorities

So, I was watching a recent episode of the ā€œDeep Fat Friedā€ podcast, and in it, Scotty, Paul, and TJ were talking extensively about the coronavirus and how the situation has escalated. After covering the coronavirus, they transitioned to talking about a story of how the FCC has received complaints about the Super Bowl 2020 Halftime Show. The complaints that have been received were from people complaining about how the Halftime Show was explicit and suggestive, to say the least. Scotty, Paul, and TJ had cracked a joke during the transition about how the priorities of most Americans were not the coronavirus, but the Halftime Show. After hearing the story about the Halftime Show, and hearing some of the complaints that were made, I honestly believe that a lot of Americans arenā€™t that concerned about the coronavirus and how it has the potential to be deadly. Instead, they are more concerned about a music performance thatā€™s ultimately insignificant during a sports championship thatā€™s ultimately insignificant for a sport thatā€™s ultimately insignificant on a day thatā€™s not only insignificant, but happened OVER A MONTH AGO!! Why are people STILL complaining about something as insignificant as a music performance that happened OVER A MONTH AGO?!!! And the reason why I say the Super Bowl, football, and the Halftime Show is ultimately insignificant is because itā€™s JUST ENTERTAINMENT!!! Itā€™s meant to entertain people and allow people to have a good time. People should be MORE concerned about the coronavirus spreading around; NOT THE HALFTIME SHOW!!

This series of events just really made me feel a sense of disappointment at my fellow Americans. It seems these days, people only care about the superficial things. They only care about the superficial, the material, and themselves. Well, they donā€™t care about themselves in the sense that they are concerned about their safety and the safety of those around them. No. Instead, they are worried about themselves in a sense that they want to gratify themselves. They want gratification, and they want it instantly. This coronavirus crisis has really shown peopleā€™s true colors. It shows that some people are selfish and only care about themselves when it comes to being entertained and being complacent. Other than that, no one cares about what goes on in the world. No one cares about the issues that actually matter. Well, I shouldnā€™t say ā€œno one,ā€ for there are people who do care. However, it just seems that a lot of people donā€™t care. Maybe thatā€™s just my biased perception of the world, though. All I do know is that it feels to me that some people only care about the superficial and material, and donā€™t care about their own safety nor the world around them.

“Nothing Worth Doing Is Ever Easy”

In this video from progressive commentator Kyle Kulinski, aka Secular Talk, he talks about how Bernie and his supporters are striving hard to get progressive policies implemented into America. Throughout the video, Kyle mentions how nothing worth doing is ever easy. I’d like to talk more about this philosophy and mindset for a little bit.

Kyle is right. Nothing that’s worth doing IS ever easy. There’s always going to be challenges in life no matter what happens. Any goals and dreams that we may have are going to have roadblocks and obstacles that’ll try to stop us from moving forward. However, for us to see our goals, dreams, and desires come into fruition, we have to persist and keep moving forward, no matter the odds. By giving up and calling it quits, we are limiting ourselves from our fullest potential. Are there problems and challenges in this world? For sure! Are they going to be difficult? Some of them are! Whatever the case, we can never give up, no matter what.

This post doesn’t just have to be applied to progressivism. It can be applied to one’s personal life, as well! There are so many goals and aspirations that people have. Some people may feel hesitant about striving for the goals and aspirations that they may have. They may sometimes wonder if what they are doing is worth the effort, because there are so many challenges and obstacles that lie ahead. What I have to say is this: don’t give up on your dreams. Keep on striving towards them, no matter what. Life is to short for regrets, what-ifs, and hypotheses. If you want to see something or do something, then do it! Don’t let anyone or anything stop you from achieving your goals. You only got one life to live, so make the most out of life and the experiences you can gain from it. Be adventurous. Be bold. Be daring. Do whatever it is that will make you most fulfilled in life! You are a unique individual with many great gifts and talents. Don’t let people stop you from finding out what it is that you’re good at and passionate about! If you want to become a writer, then become a writer! If you want to start a YouTube channel, then start a YouTube channel! If you want to become an artist, then become an artist! You have so much potential for greatness, and every second you spend debating about whether or not you should go after your dreams are seconds that you could be spending going after your dreams, so why wait? There is no “perfect moment.” The perfect moment to achieve your goals and dreams is now; right now. If you wait, there may not be a tomorrow.

Incompetency And Common-sense

https://nypost.com/2020/02/20/coronavirus-infected-americans-flown-back-to-us-on-plane-full-of-healthy-people/amp/?fbclid=IwAR1QN9_2Qqb9Fhwnn6gcww4pcBFigrY8vy7WW-Rl71er74fkRgTSuzZTFQc

This article from the New York Post talks about how Americans with the coronavirus were flown back to the US on a plane full of healthy passengers. As soon as I read the title, I immediately asked myself this question: how can people be so incompetent? Common-sense would tell you that if you are infected with a virus that can spread and has the potential to kill, you isolate the infected individuals from the healthy individuals. But it seems that whoever directed those Americans infected with the coronavirus did not have common-sense.

Hearing stories like this really makes it hard for me to put my complete trust in anyone in times of crises, because there are individuals, like in this example above, that are incompetent and will do things that will only make the situation potentially worse! Now, I’m not saying that ALL people are incompetent. There are people who are competent and know what they are doing. In fact, I would say a majority of people know what they are doing. However, there are a select few of individuals who may not know what they are doing, and it is those individuals that can make dire situations potentially worse, and that is what scares me. I understand that we are only humans and mistakes will happen. I understand that we aren’t perfect and things won’t always go perfectly. However, when you are tasked to coordinate people in a dire time, you have to be very attentive and make sure that you minimize the potential for mistakes, especially big ones, and to me, an incident like the one described above should not have happened.

Technology and Social Discourse

Technology has changed the way how social discourse is conducted in America and the world. Before the age of the internet, people got their information from TV, newspapers, books, or the radio, and it was a lot harder to find what you were looking for. Nowadays, with the age of the internet and smart technology, it is extremely easy to find information about any topic fairly easy. Now, the challenge is not that it is hard to find anything. No, nowadays, it is hard to figure out what is and isn’t true. There is so much information available at our fingertips that it is hard to figure out what’s true and what’s not. That can be overwhelming for a lot of people, because now, it forces people who want to find out the truth to actually research all of the information that is presented to them, and determine for themselves whether or not something is true. This is also a good thing, because it allows people to break out of their comfort zones and bubbles to find out what themselves what is and isn’t true. It gives people a chance to go out and understand the information and points that are being made from many different sides of politics.

Will people do that, however? Who knows. Some people will, but I don’t know if everyone will, because with the age of the internet and technology, there is also a lot more distractions and entertainment that is readily available to people, such as video games, music, movies, TV, app games, anime, manga, digital books, YouTube, etc. Not only that, but there may be some people who may not want to step out of their comfort zones. It could to be too scary and frightening to do so, so instead, they’ll just stay complacent in their current situation, even with myriads of information available to them.

What I do know is is that I will try to use the internet to my advantage. I will try to do as much research as possible about everything. Whether I’m right or wrong is irrelevant, because I don’t know all of the answers, and I may never know all the answers. At best, I’ll only have part of the truth. There may be so much more that’s out there that I don’t know about and that I may never know about, and that’s okay! I will try not to get bogged down by the fact that I don’t have all of the information and may never have all of the information. As a skeptic, that is something that I believe we all have to accept. People who say that they know the truth are full of themselves. No one knows the truth, at least not the full truth. Even people with exorbitant amounts of power don’t know the full truth. None of us do. We don’t know what’s out there in space. We don’t know what happens after we die. We don’t know what’s below the Earth. We don’t know how life came to be. We don’t know what’s at the very bottom of the oceans. We don’t even know about consciousness and our own brains. We don’t know about any of those things; at least, not fully. We only have parts of what could possibly be a grand and vast truth; one that none of us may be able to comprehend. Will we ever find that truth? Maybe, or maybe not. Whatever the case is, one thing that is for sure is that as far we can tell, we will never know the full truth about anything, and that is something that I accept.

“Humanitarian Intervention” Is An Oxymoron

There is no such thing as “humanitarian intervention.” It’s an oxymoron, and a blatant one if one were to take the time to ponder it’s meaning, the usage, and the context of the phrase. Interventions of ANY kind are not humanitarian ventures; not in the slightest. Lives are still lost, people get uprooted from their homes, instability is caused, and chaos ensues. There is nothing humanitarian about military interventions of any kind. Violence should only be used as a last resort in the act of self-defense, but even then, there is nothing humanitarian about it. A life will still be taken. Lives will be affected as a result of the life that is taken.

If one were to put the definitions of “humanitarian” and “intervention” side by side, there will be a stark contrast between the two. That’s exactly what I’m going to do.

Humanitarian, as an adjective, according to Dictionary.com ( https://www.dictionary.com/browse/humanitarian ) means “having concern for or helping to improve the welfare and happiness of people.”

The definition of intervention, or military intervention, according to TheFreeDictionary ( https://www.thefreedictionary.com/military+intervention ) is “TheĀ deliberateĀ actĀ ofĀ aĀ nationĀ orĀ aĀ groupĀ ofĀ nationsĀ toĀ introduceĀ itsĀ militaryĀ forces into theĀ courseĀ ofĀ anĀ existingĀ controversy.”

Humanitarian intervention, according to Encyclopedia Britannica ( https://www.britannica.com/topic/humanitarian-intervention ) , is the implementation of “actions undertaken by an organization or organizations (usually a state or a coalition of states) that are intended to alleviate extensive human suffering within the borders of a sovereign state. Such suffering tends to be the result of a government instigating, facilitating, or ignoring the abuse of groups falling within its jurisdiction. This abuse often takes the form of deliberate and systematic violations of human rights, including forced expulsions, ethnic cleansing, and, in the most extreme cases, genocide. Humanitarian intervention can apply also in situations where there is no effective government and civil order consequently has collapsed.”

“Humanitarian intervention constitutes a calculated and uninvited breach of sovereignty (state rights) in the name of humanity (individual rights). Though humanitarian interventions do not necessarily require the employment of military forceā€”as they could include, for example, the imposition of sanctionsā€”the term refers normally to situations in which force (or the threat of force) is used. Humanitarian intervention has become a major focus of debate within governments, international organizations, and think tanks and across a variety of academic fields, including international and comparative law, international relations, political science, and moral and political philosophy.”

When militaristic force is used in humanitarian intervention, the term becomes an oxymoron, because as soon as lives are lost AT ALL as a result of the intervention, the concerns of people’s welfare and lives are thrown out the window. If a person is truly a humanitarian, and people want to strive for humanitarian interventions and solutions, violence is not the way. Human lives have value. We have to start treating lives as though they have value. We cannot treat people like they are dispensable, because they are not. Once a person is gone, they’re gone for good. To be truly a humanitarian, one would strive for peaceful solutions, even in the most difficult situations. Violence is not always the answer. We have to be better. We have to strive to be better. There are so many people who glorify violence and militarism and think it’s a good thing to start conflicts with a bunch of different nations and assassinate dictators because it’s “trying to stop a war.” It’s not. Let’s try to take steps towards finding peaceful solutions to conflicts, otherwise. If we don’t, we may one day reach the dreaded midnight on the Doomsday Clock.

Sanders A Warhawk?

According to an article from “World Socialist Web Site” https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/14/sand-f14.html , Bernie Sanders had told the New York Times in an interview that he would “consider military force to pre-empt an Iranian or North Korean nuclear or missile test.” The article goes on further to say that Bernie would also be willing to use “military force for a humanitarian intervention.” Sanders also told the New York Times that he would not withdraw American troops from the Korean peninsula immediately, and instead “would work closely with our South Korean partners to move toward peace on the Korean peninsula.” The article also states that Sanders would be willing to consider Russia an enemy if the tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalate. “Finally, the Times asks the Sanders campaign its position on the National Security Strategy announced by the Trump administration at the beginning of 2018. The new doctrine declares that the focus of American foreign and military strategy has shifted from the ‘war on terror’ to the preparation for war against its major rivals, naming in particular Russia and China.” The following exchange is disturbing, to say the least:

“Question: President Trumpā€™s national security strategy calls for shifting the focus of American foreign policy away from the Middle East and Afghanistan, and back to what it refers to as the ā€˜revisionistā€™ superpowers, Russia and China. Do you agree? Why or why not?“

“Answer: Despite its stated strategy, the Trump administration has never followed a coherent national security strategy. In fact, Trump has escalated tensions in the Middle East and put us on the brink of war with Iran, refused to hold Russia accountable for its interference in our elections and human rights abuses, has done nothing to address our unfair trade agreement with China that only benefits wealthy corporations, and has ignored Chinaā€™s mass internment of Uighurs and its brutal repression of protesters in Hong Kong. Clearly, Trump is not a president we should be taking notes from. [Emphasis added].“

The WSWS article also states that “Sanders would continue provocative ‘freedom of the seas’ navigation operations in the Persian Gulf and the South China Sea, while committing a Sanders administration to ‘maintain some [troop] presence’ on the multitude of bases dotting ‘allied’ countries from Japan to Germany.”

The article concludes with the following few paragraphs that I believe sum up how I feel about what Sanders had said to the New York Times recently:

“Millions of workers, students and young people are presently attracted to Sanders because they have come to despise and oppose the vast social inequality, brutality and militarism of American society and correctly associate these evils with capitalism. However, they will soon learn through bitter experience that Sandersā€™s opposition to the ‘billionaire class’ is no more real than his supposed opposition to war. His foreign policy is imperialist through and through, in line with the aggressive and militaristic policy of the Democratic Party and the Obama administration.“

“The Democratsā€™ differences with Trump on foreign policy, though bitter, are tactical. Both parties share the strategic orientation of asserting US global hegemony above all through force of arms.“

“No matter how much Sanders blusters about inequality, it is impossible to oppose the depredations of the ruling class at home while supporting its plunder and oppression abroad.“

“Sanders is no more an apostle of peace than he is a representative of the working class. Both in foreign and domestic policy, he is an instrument of the ruling class for channeling the growing movement of the working class and opposition to capitalism back behind the Democratic Party and the two-party system of capitalist rule in America.“

Sanders touts himself as “an apostle of peace” in speeches and statements, and on social media, but behind closed doors, he gives an entirely different story. He sounds just like the rest of the warhawks that he claims to oppose. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. After seeing this article, which was written, ironically enough, on Valentine’s Day, which is supposed to be a day of love (I’m aware of the capitalistic nature behind Valentine’s Day. I won’t get into that in this article). Instead, what I had found out, not on that day, but the day after, was that the Democratic candidate who I liked more than any of the other Democrats that were running, turned out to be a liar, a fraud, and was just like the rest of the warhawks in his party. I was really disappointed to hear about Sanders’ comments, because I was willing to vote for him. Now, I don’t know if I am going to vote for anyone; at least, not in the Democratic Party. I was considering Sanders because he actually seemed to be for the people. He seemed to care about the issues people actually cared about like healthcare, education, infrastructure, and reducing wealth inequality. That was what Sanders was about; at least, that’s what I thought he was about. The other candidates weren’t fighting for those issues. They were only fighting to maintain the status quo. Bernie Sanders made himself stand out. He made himself appear like an underdog; like an outsider. In the end, he turned out to support the things he claimed he would not support. After seeing this article, I am not sure if I am going to want to vote for him, or anyone in the Democratic party.

I will still keep a close eye on Bernie, to see if he changes his tune. After reading this WSWS article, however, I’ve become very skeptical of everything Bernie says. I am now starting to think he doesn’t actually believe everything he is saying, and that once he gets into power, he would do all he can to maintain the status quo. That is something that I fear for the people in America, and the world, who are huge Bernie supporters. I fear that he will get everyone excited to vote for him and instill “hope and change” into them, similar to Obama back in 2008, but wind up becoming a disappointment by not living up to any of the promises he made on the campaign trail.

This post will probably get a lot of flack, so let me sign off with this: don’t let your expectations cloud your judgment. Be skeptical, and be critical of everything Bernie, and any candidate, for that matter, says and does. Don’t take them at their words, or policies, alone. Don’t even take them at their voting records alone. Be skeptical of everything a person says and does; especially a politician. Sometimes, it’s the ones we love the most that wind up hurting us the most once we realize that they may not have our best interests at heart.

Source: World Socialist Web Site, Sanders tells New York Times he would consider a preemptive strike against Iran or North Korea, written by Jacob Crosse and Barry Grey, published February 14, 2020, https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/02/14/sand-f14.html

Meet The Team – Jaime David

Jaime David is the administrator of “The Interfaith Intrepid.” He created and started this blog site. The idea came to him one day out of the blue. He was inspired by a few collaboration videos done by YouTubers “God Is Grey” and “Jaclyn Glenn.” He saw the two of them work well together, and was inspired to find a way to bring theists and atheists to work together. That is where the inspiration for “The Interfaith Intrepid” was born. Now, he hopes to find a team for the blog. He hopes to find people from a variety of backgrounds all across the world! This blog is to promote diversity and understanding. In order to understand the issues that people are facing around the world, the first thing to do is listen; listen to the stories and experiences that they share. From there, it is possible to understand what others are going through, and find ways to come up with solutions. That is Jaime’s goal for this blog. He hopes to unite theists and atheists from a diverse array of backgrounds together under one umbrella; that umbrella being “The Interfaith Intrepid.” There is a long way to go until this blog reaches that point. However, Jaime will keep everyone posted, both on here and his main blog. If you are interested, feel free to follow Jaime on his main blog, linked below:

https://jaimedavid27.home.blog/

Jaime plans on posting more content on here, and his main blog, as time goes on. In the meantime, feel free to follow him on here and on there, and give some of his older content a read. He’s only been blogging for a few months, but in such a short amount of time, he’s already gained a bit of a following. Only time will tell how things will be months and years from now.

Welcome!

Hi! Welcome to “The Interfaith Intrepid!” On this blog site, we will post a variety of posts, from news to politics to reviews, what have you! There will be no set schedule on here. We’ll just post whenever possible. In subsequent blog posts, I, and my other fellow contributors, will be introducing ourselves on here. Right now, our staff is limited. Hopefully, as time goes on, we will increase our numbers! We will be sharing joint social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, etc) to share our posts, and whatever else is on our minds that we don’t share on here! Feel free to follow us on T.I.I’s social media accounts (TBA), our own personal blogs (links will be provided in our own individual bios), and our social media accounts associated with our blogs (links to those will also be provided in our own bios). In the meantime, just sit back, relax, and look forward to some great content that’s to come!