The Idea Mag - Issue 1 - January 2nd, 2005

AbsoluteOpinion

Absolute Opinion

It's a struggle to find the right way to introduce this publication, this idea, this concept - whatever this is. It's even hard to find an acceptable, nominal introduction. What's to say? It is what it is. But let's try anyway.

It's about thought. About feeling. About belief. It's the conversation you have with a small group of friends over dinner, as you try to solve the world's problems, while still trying to make sense of what they are. It's the back and forth, the struggle of ideas as each is tested, applied, and then reworked. It's the satisfaction of realizing that although you still don't have all the answers - you've seen something in a new light, you've realized why what you thought was true is true, you're no longer on the surface of the issue - you've explored its depths. That's what it's about.

It's about opinion. Not a stiff, sterile, 'objective' viewpoint. An opinion that factors in life - one filtered by experience, passion, and a belief in truth. It's not a map that tells you where, how much, what distance. It's a vista that shows you who, why, what it means. It's perspective - evaluating things in light of everything else. It's about showing you something you've never seen before, seeing something in a new way, or realizing that someone sees it the same way you do. It's about opinion.

It's about absolute. The things that never change. The foundation for everything else. Absolutes are timeless, always relevant, globally applicable. Truth - black and white, good and evil, right and wrong. It's either-or. It's one or the other. It's about things that are mutually exclusive. It's about reality not perception. It's about truth not preference. It's about belief over desire. Faith over feelings. It's about what you can know. It's about absolute.

That's what we're shooting for. Will we make it? Maybe, maybe not, but we'll at least try. Why not stick around and see for yourself? You might agree with us, you might not - but we hope what you see is our honest view of life. We're not afraid of a difference of opinion. We're not afraid of different beliefs. What scares us is the absence of them. The idea that everything is equal, nothing is right, and truth isn't. We're not afraid to believe in something. And we're not afraid to tell you about it.

Absolute Opinion.

Enjoy.

--The AO Staff

"That's wonderful! I enjoyed every article. Keep it up!"

--Gail, AO reader after perusing the first issue.
"The Archives are coming, the Archives are coming!"

--Paul Revere, AO web developer on what to expect in the not so distant future.
"I love digital publishing, the more formats the better. I haven't used a typewriter for years."

--Dan Rather, upon hearing that AO will soon be delivered by RSS and e-mail.
Absolute Opinion is a biweekly online magazine. The next issue will be online at 8pm January 16th.