Mike Martin and I have been friends for forty one years. There are not many people in the
world outside of your family that you have known your entire life, and still call them your friend. I am fortunate to have had a friend for most of my life, who is cantankerous, stubborn and is often not right about anything! He would tell you the same thing about me. We work together right now and that leads to many conflicts about virtually every subject. When I started this new Picture Project I was in between two of these conflicts, so it only made sense that the first picture should be a symbol of the fights we have on most days. These “fights” are more philosophical battles, where we do not agree on much of anything. But when the chips are down, I know I can count on him and he on me.
The core of our conflict has boiled down to the essence of our philosophies, and all of our conflicts stem from this premise:
My Philosohpy: That there is a right and a wrong, that everyone deep down knows it and that morality is definite and binding. (he refers to this as black and white)
Mike Martin Philosophy: That life is lived on a continuum of gray area, sometimes things are right, sometimes wrong depending on the circumstances. (I refer to this as the whatever way the wind blows philosophy)
I could go into each of he specific debates that we have had over the years but when I write about it I seem to be even more clearly right than when the original argument occurred. Needless to say that we have argued over philosophy, thought, morals, honesty, choices, how to stop drug addiction, and even judgments of others.
Needless to say these arguments have traveled with us from Belgrade all over the State of Maine as we have gone to different locations for work related stuff. There are a few things we do agree on though.
*Greenville was a great place to grow up
*Our parents were pretty good people
*The Patriots and Red Sox are awesome
Having had some experience with people that are friendly to you face, but not really a friend it is good to know that even though we argue all the time, it is good to have at least one friend that I can count on, no matter what happens.
So this argument has been going on for 41 years and even though I am always right, it still continues, some day he may even get the last word.
But not today because as usual I am right!!!!!
No, you’re not entitled to your opinion
Keeping Sartre, and other passions