“The camel nose under the tent”, “the slippery slope”, “the gateway”. These are all expressions currently in vogue by absolutist extremists. No matter that such ideas are generally nonsense .
The extremist is certain of two things 1. that he or she alone knows the perfect truth. 2.that such a perfect truth sits at the tip of a cone from which the slightest movement only leads down to horror.
Now, the usual way to criticize such concepts is to claim that each particular “truth” is wrong or partial. And certainly such may often be the case. But I criticize the concept of the cone of correctness rising above a sea of sin .
Life, in particular, is not built of perfect points but of antagonistic forces kept in balance through tensions and self-corrective mechanisms. There is no “perfect” blood pressure – it varies considerably – but when it gets too high or too low in healthy people, homeostatic reactions bring it back to “normal” range. such is true all the way down to cellular activity. So much more our consciousness. No perfect mood. No perfect path. Everything a balance. Not a cone, not even a tightrope, but more a net.
Because of their self-centered righteousness, extremists are usually insufferable. And unfortunately, dangerous. Nothing in life is a cone and should not be treated as one .
HuntingtonHarborThoughts 