[€uroMeinke]

I'm less absolute.

I was into punk and new wave music and felt nothing else had merit - well, except maybe some classical. Now there isn't a genre I can't take some interest in or appreciation, even country.

I was all for reason and rationality, got downright mean spirited and nasty to the religious, but have since learned to respect other beliefs - though when hit with unyielding dogma I can still hit back. On the other hand I've also come to realize that reason is the tool people use to justify doing the things they feel are right, so I've learned to trust my gut and be okay with that.

I was all about creativity, but mostly that meant storytelling, it wasn't until I saw the collection of modern works in my college museum, going with the intent to ridicule them that I learned how spectacular they were, and that visual art was way more that representation.

While I still tend to lean left, particularly when it comes to social issues, I'm mostly apolitical. Being involved in the formation of a PAC taught me that people get into politics to serve their own self-interest, they love single issue voters and idealists because they are easy to manipulate to meet their own goals. I still admire the political idealists, but I hate the nastiness politics seems to spawn, so avoid it as much as possible.

In high school I reveled in being on the fringe, and so made myself belligerently so, now while I still like being in the fringe, I'm more confident with my place there so less belligerent (i.e. threatened).