Someone recently asked me (and I’m omitting the person’s name because it wasn’t a public question):

A quick question? Do you feel like you have to be “politically” correct when you write your posts?

This type of writing? It’s less like a straight run or a drive down a road, and more like a dance. I have these steadfast rules I’ve engraved into the inside of my forehead and have been pretty good about it:

1. Don’t discuss my principal.
2. Don’t discuss my love life.
3. Don’t discuss people who ask to be explicitly discussed about on my blog.

These rules sound innocuous, but, because of the rancor I’ve withstood whenever I kept it too real, I decided to bury a few posts here and there because they violate these rules. Having said that, I think I’ve pushed myself to become more transparent about what I believe in other areas, especially with race, politics, and education. Sometimes, I recognize that I present ideas in a fashion that seems to exclude others. Yet, believe it or not, I rarely delete comments. Even the offensive ones stay; it’s important to get a pulse of dissenting views, even when they’re completely wrong.

As I’ve matured, I’ve sought to communicate a message that says, “I’m really thinking about these things, and I’ll wait until I’m settled on an answer before blurting it out.” Thought is the key. Every time I see a post that I absolutely have to write about, I approach it the way I approach a dance: begin delicately, build up somewhere in the middle, pay attention to the moods and intricacies, end gracefully, and engage your partner.

Especially that last one. Then, and only then, can we dance.

Jose, who can dance if he wants to …