Dad,

I think that convictions get muddled because they get confused with opinions. The difference lies in action and inaction. if we sit around the table in your living room and sip coffee and talk about feeding the hungry or staying out of debt, then that conversation is founded in opinion. If we cut up our credit cards, take on an extra job, send every penny to our student loans until they are paid off then pay cash for everything for the rest of our lives, that action is founded in conviction. The problem is, there are some things that don’t warrant a conviction, and there are some people that have very strong opinions and make “never” statements about them. Opinions are the stuff of issues and our political situation today consists of candidates riding their opinions to the White House. Whomever can make the best case for their opinions gets the job. But you can’t rely on your opinions to help you make hard decisions and to keep you on course when the storm hits. In the end, your opinions are just coffee talk and your convictions won’t be realized until they have been tested. George Bush is barely a man of strong opinions, let alone virtues and convictions.

Bryan