“Putting A Name With A Face” (Part 2)

By: Corey Thompson, “The Thirsty Quill”

We all have a bus to drive right now.

Whether Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Conservative, Moderate, or Independent…we all are sitting squarely behind the wheel at this important juncture in our history.

We are playing a very, very important part in this process. The crossroads lie before us, the wheel is in our hands…

Turn to the Right? Hopefully. Turn to the Left? Drive straight down the middle? These are the questions that many of us are asking ourselves.

The purpose of “The Thirsty Quill” has always been to provide a platform for people to express their views and opinions, regardless of what side of the political table they choose to eat from. Of course, the primary aim of this ‘one horse’ publication has always been to help fuel the engines of the Conservative movement. Still, we are open to hearing from the “other side” of the table as well.

I believe that doing so is vital in political discourse. The art of listening, and understanding how the “other half” view the world, is an important step in stabilizing one’s own foundational beliefs and values. I genuinely believe that we become stronger in our ideology through our willingness to know how the other half think. Although we won’t agree on the issues, the process of education is an important bridge over the abyss of ignorance.

All too often, we get so caught up in the practice of preaching and venting to likeminded people, that in time, we fail to make any real difference in the world around us. We just continue fuming the same old rhetoric in the same old inner-circles, and before you know it, everybody around us is consumed by it and ultimately they go deaf to what we are saying. In the end, the rest of the world never hears from us. We never branch out and try to have an impact on those who see things from a different perspective. When that happens, nobody is finding (or feeding) true “change.”

This past Monday night, I had the unique opportunity to finally put some familiar names with some unfamiliar faces. Meeting at a local restaurant here in Charlotte, I sat down across the table (both literally and symbolically) from my ‘resident nemesis’ here at ‘The Quill,’ Mr. Andy McGee. We were joined by other contributors Patrick Bobbins and Rodney Johnson, and Rodney’s close friend Mike.

A few weeks ago, the decision was made to try something new. At first, it would be a “trial run,” hopefully paving the way for a new branch of discourse among the readers and writers of “The Thirsty Quill.” The aim was to bring everyone out from behind the mask of a computer screen, and to engage in political discussion and debate face-to-face.

For nearly two hours, we got to know one another, shared our opinions and views, laughed together, argued a little, expressed concern, vented frustrations, and ultimately, gained a greater appreciation for the names attached to the majority of the articles and comments we find here at ‘The Quill’ on a daily basis.

In that regard, the experience was a huge success. And while nobody left the table Monday night with a brand new view of the political landscape or a change in party affiliation, every one of us left feeling more informed, more challenged, and more engaged.

Monday night was indeed the “trial run.” In the coming months and years, we hope to have the opportunity to meet again, and again, and again. We won’t meet every week, but we will meet enough to keep the conversation going…and the debate raging…for the good of everyone.

If you are interested in joining us, or if you have any ideas or suggestions for improving this project in regard to format, times, and/or locations, please feel free to post your ideas here, or email me at corey@thirstyquill.com.

We look forward to hearing from you, and if we’re lucky enough, sitting down and finally putting a face with a name. We’ll be better off that way, and maybe, just maybe, the headlights will pierce through the darkness a little more effectively on the journey ahead.