Now gather round folks....
Posted: Nov 19 2003 9:04 pm
WARNING: LONG AND POSSIBLY ANNOYING POST TO FOLLOW!
CONTINUE READING AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Okay folks...grandpa is sitting here in his rocking chair and he would like to have a serious conversation with all of you, so sit down and pay attention.
Wiz - sit your bottom down before I put my boot into it.
HikerinGilbert- quit pulling Woopitup's hair - I said STOP IT!
All settled? Good - let's begin.
The latest round of posts has gotten me thinking - what exactly is the problem with today's world? Understanding and tolerance seem to no longer be normal traits to be found as a common person.
Or so it appears.
A prime example would be the political scene. The constant partisan bickering is becoming annoying, but it's not just with politicians - it is with normal citizens, and more prominent with those who are politically active and those with pronounced ideological overtones.
From the conservative/right: any opinion of a "liberal" (as defined by the current political landscape, not a dictionary/traditional definition) is wrong; it doesn't matter what it is. They are socialists or communists or worse: tax and spend liberals (the horror!). Clinton is a coward, a liar, a criminal and a womanizer and started this country down the road to hades.
From the liberal/left: all conservatives want nothing but to rape the planet and pillage from the poor to give to the rich. They are all war-mongering, jingoist, imperialists. Bush is the worst threat to humanity on the planet and comparable to Hitler in his maniacle schemes for power.
And those are the more sensible viewpoints. There are crazier ones out there. And that isn't even going toward the conspiracy theorists.
Even on this forum - people sniping at each other, misunderstandings and a lot of posturing. Some attempts at reconciliation - and other attempts that are less clear in their intention. And a lot of hurt feelings and offended people (and I guarantee that there are a number of people that have been offended that we haven't even heard from - and now probably never will)
So, what the H-E-*-* happened here? Has it always been this bad? Are humans incapable of understanding one another? Is one side correct and the other side incorrect?
Well - I don't pretend to have the answers. However, I would like to share something that has recently come back into my attention that I had forgotten about for a long time - and it has helped me to at least try to understand the whole thing.
As many of you know - I am studying psychology - and one of the cornerstones of cognitive psychology for quite some time was the concept of SCHEMA. What is a schema? A schema (stated simply) is how a person interprets information or sensory input, and it is based around that individuals past experience.
In cognitive psychology everything is centered around what a person expereinces. We all build our towers of knowledge using the scaffold of our past experience and our future expectations. This particular idea helps explains how two different people with different backgrounds can look at the EXACT same data and come to completely separate conclusions - often at odds with each other. Why? Because they are interpreting the data throught their personal filter - their schema.
It is more of an interesting phenomenon than you might guess. Studies have shown that humans hardly - if ever - use things like true logic. The overwhelming majority of our decisions are based on our schema - not on an objective, logical approach to a problem. That is why the saying "Common sense isn't" is so true. People simply don't view the same things the same way - and their reactions to it will be different. The differences will be major or minor - but there will always be differences - especially in the WAY we arrive at our interpretations.
The study of schema is making a comeback - not always using the same terminology but the concept is still the same(to make a name for yourself in the intellectual world you basically have to come up with a different way of looking at old knowledge, and if you use a new term for something familiar - bingo - you're in!). And it is a rich field of research.
So, what does all this mean?
WARNING: THIS POST IS COMING TO AN END
It basically means that before you condem another person's viewpoint - at least make an attempt to understand it. There really isn't such a thing as an absolutely correct opinion (at least - not outside the world of religion; but we won't go there today). Everyone has a different experience in this life - and we all have our own opinions and way of seeing the world.
That is the miracle of human individuality - and the wonderfulness of it can truly be amazing - if you take the time to see it that way. If you don't like something I have said, make an effort to understand first - then perhaps you can educate me on your views. In fact - go right ahead, please, I welcome it as an opportunity to learn. But, please do it in the light of education - not condemnation or vituperation.
It is a wonderfully diverse landscape of humanity out there. We can all learn a lot if we pay attention and respect differences. We don't have to agree - I never said that - in fact, I would find it utterly boring if we did.
Let's just see if we can recognize that we all have our individual way of seeing the world. If you don't like the way I see the world - that's fine. Please educate me on how you see it - you might be surprised, I might actually agree with you.
But don't count on it.
Now...go fetch granpa some bourbon....
CONTINUE READING AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Okay folks...grandpa is sitting here in his rocking chair and he would like to have a serious conversation with all of you, so sit down and pay attention.
Wiz - sit your bottom down before I put my boot into it.
HikerinGilbert- quit pulling Woopitup's hair - I said STOP IT!
All settled? Good - let's begin.
The latest round of posts has gotten me thinking - what exactly is the problem with today's world? Understanding and tolerance seem to no longer be normal traits to be found as a common person.
Or so it appears.
A prime example would be the political scene. The constant partisan bickering is becoming annoying, but it's not just with politicians - it is with normal citizens, and more prominent with those who are politically active and those with pronounced ideological overtones.
From the conservative/right: any opinion of a "liberal" (as defined by the current political landscape, not a dictionary/traditional definition) is wrong; it doesn't matter what it is. They are socialists or communists or worse: tax and spend liberals (the horror!). Clinton is a coward, a liar, a criminal and a womanizer and started this country down the road to hades.
From the liberal/left: all conservatives want nothing but to rape the planet and pillage from the poor to give to the rich. They are all war-mongering, jingoist, imperialists. Bush is the worst threat to humanity on the planet and comparable to Hitler in his maniacle schemes for power.
And those are the more sensible viewpoints. There are crazier ones out there. And that isn't even going toward the conspiracy theorists.
Even on this forum - people sniping at each other, misunderstandings and a lot of posturing. Some attempts at reconciliation - and other attempts that are less clear in their intention. And a lot of hurt feelings and offended people (and I guarantee that there are a number of people that have been offended that we haven't even heard from - and now probably never will)
So, what the H-E-*-* happened here? Has it always been this bad? Are humans incapable of understanding one another? Is one side correct and the other side incorrect?
Well - I don't pretend to have the answers. However, I would like to share something that has recently come back into my attention that I had forgotten about for a long time - and it has helped me to at least try to understand the whole thing.
As many of you know - I am studying psychology - and one of the cornerstones of cognitive psychology for quite some time was the concept of SCHEMA. What is a schema? A schema (stated simply) is how a person interprets information or sensory input, and it is based around that individuals past experience.
In cognitive psychology everything is centered around what a person expereinces. We all build our towers of knowledge using the scaffold of our past experience and our future expectations. This particular idea helps explains how two different people with different backgrounds can look at the EXACT same data and come to completely separate conclusions - often at odds with each other. Why? Because they are interpreting the data throught their personal filter - their schema.
It is more of an interesting phenomenon than you might guess. Studies have shown that humans hardly - if ever - use things like true logic. The overwhelming majority of our decisions are based on our schema - not on an objective, logical approach to a problem. That is why the saying "Common sense isn't" is so true. People simply don't view the same things the same way - and their reactions to it will be different. The differences will be major or minor - but there will always be differences - especially in the WAY we arrive at our interpretations.
The study of schema is making a comeback - not always using the same terminology but the concept is still the same(to make a name for yourself in the intellectual world you basically have to come up with a different way of looking at old knowledge, and if you use a new term for something familiar - bingo - you're in!). And it is a rich field of research.
So, what does all this mean?
WARNING: THIS POST IS COMING TO AN END
It basically means that before you condem another person's viewpoint - at least make an attempt to understand it. There really isn't such a thing as an absolutely correct opinion (at least - not outside the world of religion; but we won't go there today). Everyone has a different experience in this life - and we all have our own opinions and way of seeing the world.
That is the miracle of human individuality - and the wonderfulness of it can truly be amazing - if you take the time to see it that way. If you don't like something I have said, make an effort to understand first - then perhaps you can educate me on your views. In fact - go right ahead, please, I welcome it as an opportunity to learn. But, please do it in the light of education - not condemnation or vituperation.
It is a wonderfully diverse landscape of humanity out there. We can all learn a lot if we pay attention and respect differences. We don't have to agree - I never said that - in fact, I would find it utterly boring if we did.
Let's just see if we can recognize that we all have our individual way of seeing the world. If you don't like the way I see the world - that's fine. Please educate me on how you see it - you might be surprised, I might actually agree with you.
But don't count on it.
Now...go fetch granpa some bourbon....
