Fic writing continues, as do JRTC duties

 
After my last post, I managed to finish the two fic segments I was talking about in a day apiece, and they’re now where sroni can see them (and, hopefully, draw inspiration from them in doing her own segments). I’m fighting off a sinus infection, so it may be awhile before I start on the intervening fic I was talking about, but I have another two weeks here (at least), and I’m positive I can manage something during that time.

One of the men under whom I’m working here at the Joint Readiness Training Center outranks me by one grade, and tentative exploration shows that we appear to stand on precisely opposite ends of the political spectrum. As it happens, my own political views are so strong that I generally avoid discussing them except with people I know agree with me, as I dislike discord or uncivil behavior. This man, though is so soft-spoken, so cautious and inoffensive in making his points and asking his questions, that we’ve been engaging in long conversations regarding the areas in which we disagree, and why.

The thing is, I can tell his attitude is the same as mine: How can someone so clearly thoughtful, analytical, and rational study the same facts available to me, and come to completely opposite conclusions? We are both genuinely mystified. It is clear that he is earnest (and not strident) in his positions, courteous and low-key, which allows me to take the same approach … but from my position, he has uncritically drunk the liberal Kool-Aid, and of course he feels precisely the same about me and my ‘far right’ views.

I wish that everyone who disagreed with me was like him. We’ll never have a meeting of the minds, not unless something changes his (which is exactly as likely as me undergoing a wholesale revision of my political/social/moral worldview), but it would make disagreement a lot more tolerable.

I’m tired. I need rum and sleep.