I have been on a real soul searching part of my life recently. I have gotten back into more reading. A casual pass-time that I greatly enjoy. I tend to be one of those old school people and enjoy reading a hard back book. More importantly I like actually reading a book! I have tried the electronic books and tablet readers, they are just not for me. I enjoy the physical nature of the book and holding in my hands. I also tend to be one of those little nerds that loves the smell of books.
When I was younger and in school there were always reading comprehension exercises that we did in reading or English class. As I grew older I saw the benefits of being able to understand your tasks at hand, items you read, and more importantly the meaning behind the words or actions. In today's technological world we get snip-its or a brief look at someones thoughts and ideas. Normally in 140 characters or less. I believe that too many times we take a lot of what people say out of context. We look at one statement or action and base our decisions of that person on those items only. This can be a detriment to the person and yourself. We are basically taking one snapshot in time as the final decision.
In my opinion the best way to form our opinions is to go through and see some background on the person, group or situation and make some logical conclusions. The problem we tend to run into is we have emotions that get in the way. We also have outsiders telling us what "triggers" to look for in our search. As a society we tend to follow a herd that sees the world through the same glasses as we do. Another problem we run into is not everyone has a good moral base to look at a situation and come to a logical conclusion. I am sure I could go on for hours about that idea and we will in another blog.
The point I am trying to make is you should always take a step back and look at the big picture. Ask yourself does the big picture tell you that this is a bad person/situation? Or does the big picture tell you that this is a good person/situation and just going through normal life like many others? I think this is where I have a problem with social media being so prevalent in decision making. It does not always put the person or ideas into the correct context.
There are a lot of people that say things online they would never say in person. It does not make them any more or less harmful or even helpful. It's what I call the nature of the beast. I do think when you take a step back and look at the person, was it said in jest, or purposely hurtful? Was the situation a mistake or a harmful even that was meant to cause great harm? When you take the time to analyze the situation or statements are we putting it all into the right context. I believe we don't adjust the facts to make it fit our idea. We let the results of the facts form the idea. Look at the bigger picture in everything we do. For the record, if I put something online. I will also say it in person. I have no problem speaking my mind.
The book I recently finished was one called Animal Farm by George Orwell. He is the author of the classic 1984. Orwell is a very talented writer and I honestly did not know about this book until I saw it on the shelf at the book store. Most everyone has read or heard of his book, 1984. Animal farm was written a couple of years before that classic novel. If you have not read either of these books they are highly recommended.
Animal Farm seems to be a fitting book to just about any time in history. The strange part is the book is set in the country side of England. Orwell, with the use of animals on a farm, allows the reader to understand how perception and framing arguments in certain contexts can make a huge difference. The book was written in a time when Stalin and Hitler were in power in their respective countries. It allows the reader to see actions and ideas of that era. Animals take over this farm and rule it. An important aspect of the book is to show that those who do not read, comprehend, can be easily manipulated and swayed to a certain way of thinking. This ends up being detrimental to their way of life. The animals that are able read and understand, manipulate the others to get what they want from the farm and not what is best for all those on the farm.
There is a lot to be said for framing your arguments in debates with your opponents. The best way to stand your ground is to use the truth. Always speak from your heart and your mind. Donot allow others to put words in your mouth or help frame your ideas. The idea of free speech is deeply seeded in our countries history. Some observations I have seen over the last number of years is that we are no longer allowed to free speech if it does not fit another persons agenda or ideas. We are no longer allowed to criticize groups, companies or ideas. It all gets turned into "hate speech" or you are labeled "racists".
If you get time to read Animal Farm I highly recommend this book. It is a quick read with only 10 chapters. Most people would read it in one to two settings. If you are not into reading then at least take the time to make sure you are putting your thoughts, ideas, and reactions into context. I will be the first to admit I am guilty of not doing this all the time. That does not mean I am a bad person. It means I am flawed as a man. Deep down I think we all are flawed and sinners, it's how we handle those flaws and sins that make up our character.
One thing I hope for all people is that they take time in their life to take that step back, analyze what is going on, and put everything into the correct context. Form your opinions on all the information that is available. There is a popular philosophy online that criticizes sinners for going to church. They believe that everyone that goes to church is above reproach. I look at it as I want to see the other sinners next to me in the church pews on Sunday. We go to church to be saved, we don't always go to church because we are already perfect. It's about putting life into the correct context.
"I've always been spiritual but I've never had a proper context, and it took me awhile to find the proper context. It's hard to realize you can have any kind of relationship with God you want... and so I now have a punk rock relationship with God." ~Billy Corgan Lead Singer of the group Smashing Pumpkins
I loved this. We are on the same "page". I can't wait to get to church on Sunday to be with my own kind...the kind that know they deserve death and hell had it not been for a carpenter's mercy, oh yeah, and he was God too :)
ReplyDeleteWell put. Interestingly enough, there was a study. A group was given physical books, a separate group was given kindle of the same book, and third was given both. The physical group scored higher on reading comprehension, most in the kindle group didn't even finish the book, the the third category choose physical over kindle. When asked questions about the preference they said tactile touch, smell, hearing the pages turn. So they determined like most other things you do in life, you read with more than one sense.
ReplyDeleteCuriously, that being said, I wonder if the fact that most social media is electronic, and there is no way to "sense" emotion or reason, I wonder if it's a mechanism to breed stupidity, and sheeples.