Thank you for all your replies so far. I'm appreciating them all.
Two things in particular: (and I know I'm not naming everyone who's replied by name - is that rude? - but I think you all know that this is most definitely a 'free' thread - take it where it goes, have conversations, go as you will...)
:anyway!
Storm, you really got me thinking. Do I do that, put in a tangent thought post to divert from the crucial issue? (if I do, I don't see it so telling me would help, as you know); and - it occured to me, it has happened to me and instead of seeing it as you have perhaps, I have thought - oops tangent 'stop' post in the way,
I must be doing something wrong, I'm being
'told off' - so I've taken it as being a hit on me! haha. Of course where I have perceived that happening.....nobody else might agree. But I do see your point and I feel somewhat less alone with that particular perception. Hey, I don't know very much about people in general, I'm learning here, it all helps.
Guest in May, glad to see you
Is it bad manners for me, to post opposing views with supporting evidence if I am satisfied with the opinions I already hold? Wow that's a well-thought out question. I mean it. Complex.

Okay: if you're satisfied with the opinions you hold, that's fine yes? So, you could post views that oppose your opinion and you could supply evidence to support those opposing views?
Sure you could.

Why not? To me it sounds like being devil's advocate to yourself, testing your own opinions to see if you agree with yourself! Not as silly as it might sound. Half the time I'm testing my own views....and sometimes I change them, usually based on new evidence, but sometimes because my view has changed, my internal landscape has changed (while the evidence remains the same). Make sense?
I love
changing my mind! Literally. It's possible. We can over-write those old routed programs, we can get into the DOS and fiddle around with the commands! Only a tiny % are so neurally damaged that that isn't possible. Apparently.
Anyway, nope, I don't see that as bad manners. Not at all. Testing is a good scientific method
