Ambivalence

The excellent Excellent Walker mused recently on ambivalence. I too embrace ambivalence, although not wholeheartedly. Then Pedestrian Rage commented that in fact, there are plenty of things that even those of us who feel decidedly (or undecidedly) ambivalent do not feel ambivalent about, if you follow me. Which sounds almost too obvious, except that it made light bulbs and roman candles and large industrial size sparklers go off in my head. Of course there are. There are heaps of things I am far far from ambivalent about. Like the need to get rid of Bush. Or that gay marriage should be, in Massachusetts. In Canada. In fact, everywhere. I think that my children are beautiful. I think that feminism still has a looooooooong way to go. I think that socialized medicine is a jolly good idea. I think that modern motherhood is an underdiscussed notwavingbutdrowning struggle. I think that the world is not ready for anarchy but that I'm looking forward to when it is. I think that free market capitalism is evil. I think Philly is a great place to live, even though a neighbor was pistol whipped last Sunday evening, whilst getting his child's car seat out of the car.

Seeing how many things I am not ambivalent about makes me think I can choose to be less ambivalent about other things that are still swimming around in the murky part of my brain. Even if they scare me. Even if they make it possible for me to fail.

I think that if I want to be a writer I should write. I think I want to be a writer.

(There, I said it.)