David Smith
Amatuer
About
David Smith is not my real name.
Through a long process of maturing and philosophical development I’ve come to care about other people more and about myself a little less. Because I care, I want to share what I’ve learned. Some of what I’ve learned so far is wrong. Sorry about that. Some of what I’ve learned is right and will be useful to other people. I write under a pen name because one of the things that I have learned is that it is more honorable to give when there is no expectation of a return. I still care about myself enough that I want to be honorable.
When I was in grade 9 or 10 my English teacher taught the class to always put a quote from a famous person into an essay. I questioned that advice. To me an idea should be able to stand on its own. If it’s a good idea it doesn’t matter who said it. The person reading it should have the ability to recognize the truth or falsehood of the idea.
It may be useful to you to know something about me and how I came to my opinions.
I’ve had the privilage to hear people say prejudicial things when they don’t know that the object of their prejudice is listening. That is, I’m an American who has lived in Canada since he was 11. In Canada it is everyone’s patriotic duty to not like the United States.
I’ve had the privilage to be born into a family who were deeply devoted to God and yet had character flaws. That is, my family are all evangelical Christians who really mean it – but they, and I, are flawed.
I’ve had the privilage of having a life changing betrayal. Good Christian people betrayed me at a deep level. The betrayal felt worse because it felt like God himself betrayed me.
I have the privilage to get advice from Jordan Peterson. He says in his videos that if a betrayal still hurts after six months (or did he say 18?) it means that you have not made sense of it yet. He also says that writing is thinking.
For ten years I’ve been trying to make sense of that betrayal by writing. What you are reading is ten years of refinements. There are more refinements to come. Over the past 10 years I’ve change a lot of opinions. I’m sure there are more changes to come.
Thank you for reading this far. If make a comment or two on some of the pages I’ll thank you even more.
Speaking
David Smith doesn’t do speaking engagements
Books
Someday there will be a book
Contributing
If you think you have benefited in someway from what you have read then pay me back by being a healthier, happier person. Many people have done good things for me. I can’t pay them back directly. I can only try to do what I can to help other people to live life to the full. This one of the things I do to pay back.
Have Life and Have it to the Full 