This won't be my main entry this week if I can help it -- I wanna launch the next interview in a few days here. But in response to a topic in GD the other day, I wanna make something clear. Not going to link to it, just quote from it, and I'll not pretend to speak for Greg or anyone else -- just me. The topic starter had this to say:

Kay here's the thing guys, I know I'm a noob so most of you will just pass this by. I may be new here, but I have been with Bionicle from the beginning, so give me some credit. Now I look at the complaint topics and I see people insulting bonesiii and GregF, GregF! They say that because he works for Lego, he makes stuff up. Uh I'm sorry, isn't that his job? And bonesiii is a staff member here. I am willing to bet that someone is going to think I am out of place and flame me. Flame me all you want, I don't care. But leave the guys who work here alone, all right? It had to be said.

Now, I can understand his sentiments. Sometimes I am attacked, and of course that is wrong. But some people have also pointed out that it's possible to read my posts and come away with the wrong impression -- and I think that's a fair charge too, so lemme explain my view of criticism.

It's basically really simple. As long as you're not flaming me, I welcome criticism.

Why? Because as right as I often think I am, I know from past experience that I can be 100% convinced I am right about something and still be dead wrong.

For example, I remember when I was in about 4th grade, someone wasn't sure whether penguins lived at the north or south pole. I honestly thought I knew the answer -- I knew that polar bears were large, and that the north pole was simply ice, very little land beneath it, so I assumed they would live in Antarctica, where the ice rests atop land.

The other person was sure I was wrong, that penguins = south and polar bears = north, but I was sure I was right. So I argued emphatically and assured them I knew I was right -- I honestly believed I had heard somewhere that it was the case.

So then they looked it up. And voila, I was wrong.

I felt rather silly about that, and at the time, I hadn't yet formed my views about "truth-seeking debate." It then led me to feeling embarrased, and for a short time, I felt like not admitting that I was wrong and stubbornly holding onto the idea anyways.

But through many other life experiences, I realized how foolish that was, and that there was a better approach -- to always be accurate and say clearly when I'm not sure of something,. Today I am eager to find the truth in all things.

So if I saying "Not sure about this, but I think it's this way", or even if I slip and just say "it's this way" and you see evidence that I'm wrong, please, please, please tell me!

I want to know if I'm wrong.

Why? Well, with LEGO and Bionicle, maybe it doesn't matter. It's a small thing. But there's a saying, "if you can't be trusted with the little things, you can't be trusted with the big things." I have opinions about big things too, such as the fate of my soul, that are huge concerns.

I think I've found the truth about origins and thus what worldview is correct, and what I needed to do in religous terms that we can't discuss here (I'm actually considering starting a blog somewhere out there about this, though I wouldn't be able to link there from here). I had to drop a lot of pride to own up to that, but even now, I know that it's possible I'm dead wrong even on the big things, and maybe I'm in big trouble right now.

All this Bionicle debate, though mildly important to me since I enjoy Bionicle and thus want it to do well, is merely mental exercise for the big things, when you boil it down -- and believe me, it has helped me understand tons of things about human nature that I could not have learned any other way, that I have been able to apply to debates about anything.

So I extend that open-mindedness to absolutely everything in my life. That's the most important moral I have, that I must in all things be honest and open-minded. So not only am I okay with being criticized, I want it. Because all I want is the truth -- the real truth.

Remember that I am a logician -- I know how to analyze the criticisms myself, so I do not fear them. I can sort out the illogical ones myself. I do not need protecting.

So, while I appreciate the sentiment that member was expressing, I do not want people to "lay off" me at all.

That said, obviously insulting me is wrong and against the rules -- and also the logical fallacy of Ad Hominem, so it wouldn't work on me anyways.

Greg and bones have opinions and they have the privilege of expressing them. Likewise, those who are opposed to those opinions have the right to counter the assertions by Greg, bones, or anyone else.

Exactly. Open debate, in other words. Flame-free, but flame =/= criticism. Not by a long shot. I would submit to you that flame is the opposite of criticism, in fact.

Doesn't mean criticism is necessarily right either -- but the whole point is that all sides must be allowed to discuss it openly, or how can we find the truth?