A friend asks: “Why are you so more open than most people? Like than both Democrats and Republicans? I feel like many conservatives would be annoyed watching a TV show that leans left or be too annoyed to appreciate it and vice versa for liberals, they would never enjoy a show that leaned right. You’ve always seemed more open and tolerant to other people’s views than the average person, which is a big reason I always enjoyed your writings and your take on things. Were you always that way or did it take many years? I get that a lot of people on the right have to be more open, like Dennis Prager says, because they are more exposed to liberals than liberals are exposed to conservatives but I still think you are much more open to other people’s ideas than the average conservative. Are your more judgmental than you let on? It doesn’t seem to come across that way in your writings or videos. I think only once you looked a bit riled up in a debate I saw you do on religion but that was rare. It also makes people more comfortable being open with you. I’d be a lot more comfortable telling you my views and opening up to you, which I’m sure helps you as an interviewer.”
I think some of the reasons why I am as open as I am include:
* Growing up in foster care and learning to adapt to anything
* Ten years of psycho-therapy
* Changing religions
* 12-step work
* Frequent humiliation including six years bed-ridden in my 20s with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
* Alexander Technique
* The profession of journalism
* I like hearing people’s stories
* When I get triggered, I usually reflect on that and try to work it through so it does not happen again as getting triggered rarely serves me
