Declaring Independence from Humbug

Welcome to the grand opening celebrations of In Bob We Trust. I'm glad you could join me on this wonderful occasion.

By now you've almost certainly noticed that this website is far from complete. That's okay, it's an on-going project, so it will never really be complete. Right now, I'm planning on posting new articles at least once a week (content suggestions are always welcome).

With that aside, let's get our celebrations under way. Today, as we celebrate the birth of our great nation, we can also celebrate the birth of this great website.

On July 4, 1776, our brave Founding Fathers committed treason by declaring independence from the British. Today, we declare our independence from all the humbug in the world.

Humbug, like tyranny, takes many forms, and surfaces where you least expect it. It's a big war to fight, but I'm prepared to fight it, alone if I have to. Fortunately, I don't have to go it alone. There are plenty of other people in this fight. We're a minority, but we're a passionate, and intelligent minority.

When confronted with the strength of our opponents, you might feel discouraged. They have us outnumbered like you wouldn't believe. They have strongholds in politics, mass media, schools, and on the streets. They seem almost unbeatable.

But remember the American Revolutionaries. They were outnumbered, outgunned, and it seemed a hopeless situation. The brave patriots, however, fought passionately for what they knew was right. In the end, they won. And in the end, we'll win, too.

We will do well to recall the words of Thomas Paine: "These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sun-shine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country, but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."

So what does it mean to declare independence from humbug?

It means many things. It means you live in a real world, even if you have to give up fantasies that may be comforting. It means you may never tolerate anything you know is false. It means you can't just reject humbug, but must actively fight against it.

There are a lot of comforting fantasies you'll have to give up, just as I did. But what you discover is that once you've gotten past the humbug, you no longer need to be comforted by such fantasies. The real world, harsh as it may sometimes be, is much more comforting than any humbug can ever be.

But above all else, to declare independence from humbug means you must take responsibility for your own life. You can't blame any superstition for problems, but you don't have superstition to thank for success.