Greg Rolfe

2 years ago · 1 min. reading time · ~100 ·

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Stopping to listen

Stopping to listen

 

This morning I really wanted to talk about stupid people. I really did, I wanted to just yell and display my frustration. But the problem is that after a little thought I determined that they weren’t stupid. They were ignorant, misinformed, or vastly overreaching in their studies but none of this made them stupid. So why were they so off the mark?

What is it that helps us become so entrenched in an idea or position that we are unable to see the evidence that points to the opposite position? Now I am not saying that this evidence is overwhelming, but it should be enough for you to at least soften the rhetoric of your current speech. 

Of late I believe most of us have found this inability to see some of the validity of the opposition's point common in many of our conversations. Why? The person with whom we are speaking is not stupid, but they sure are acting like it. 

Issues that were resolved literally two thousand years ago are being brought up as ideas of needed consideration. Now in this case it is wrongfully informed teaching the ignorant. Though are not the ignorant supposed to seek understanding. Perhaps they should seek those of solid backgrounds, not just a smooth tongue. 

This is where I believe the real issue, to whom are we listening? Where are we getting our information? Who is a valid source? What are facts and what is an opinion? What is evidence and what is speculation? Regardless of your area of conversation, this is the foundation. Even when discussing art there must be some page you agree on to compare notes. 

People are acting like they are stupid, but they are not. I believe they are drowning under a cloud of corrupted information, reiterated by any and all. They appear to be so inundated that they are no longer even able to think. So, they just choose a side and hold on tight.

Next time you are in such a conversation, have a little grace and even try to listen, perhaps by some small miracle you might even hear something that opens your mind to a new thought.

Blessings!

Comments

Fay Vietmeier

2 years ago #10

@Greg Rolfe 

As Albert Einstein once said: “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity.” 

But what is much more widespread than actual stupidity is 

.. willful-ignorance 

.. turning off your ear, not listening

.. the inability to see or rightly perceive 

.. closed-eyes .. which is chosen-blindness 

 

Who is right? Who is wrong?
 
“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.” - Soren Kierkegaard 
 
Whose “ideology” is the Ultimate song? 🙏
.. “fleeting sparks of knowledge” from finite beings
.. has set the broken human course .. limited our seeing
 
The “consequence of conditioning” is ever being revealed
In “HARD-hearts & CLOSED-eyes” .. creating a netherworld
 
“We spill forth our bias & chosen dogma into scripture” - A. Towle
Do "words of war" weave webs of anxiety into a dark picture?
 
Darkness is always at war with LIGHT                
Might this be why we have lost our sight?
WHAT is Wrong? and WHAT is right?
The Source of both is found in Light
 
In His Light .. we have light" - Psalm 36
This Light will lead us to “BRILLIANCE”
 
Blessed are those who with their words fly as eagles
.. when spoken ..
May Truth be the token
.. when written ..
May you, with right-thinking, be smitten
 
"Calling all EAGLES"               
In my dreams I fly on eagles’ wings
 
If words could appear in the blue on high
I would write clear & bold upon the sky
Can you hear this cry?
Now's the time to fly.
 
CHAOS spreads across the land
Truth seems hanging by a strand
 
Set your wings upon the wind
Set you mind on things above
Set your heart as flint
 
Look around the world. Forsooth!
What are we teaching to our youth?
Are they learning Right and Truth?

What IS truth? & What IS right?
The Source of both is found in Light
 


 


 

Greg Rolfe

2 years ago #9

Greg Rolfe

2 years ago #8

John Rylance

2 years ago #7

Greg Rolfe

2 years ago #6

Greg Rolfe

2 years ago #5

Ken Boddie

2 years ago #4

You have hit the hammer on the nail, Greg, with today's inability of many to differentiate between fact, interpretation and opinion.  I'm not sure that this confusion is limited to those who may be perhaps less well educated, but is a function of the great profusion of commentary out there on SM, which, unfortunately, way too many of us take as correct and based on proven fact, without any attempt to test proof where the data has come from.  Furthermore, so many of us are in such a perpetual rush, that acceptance becomes easier (and certainly less time consuming) than the process of questioning and validation, or otherwise, and the art of effective debate appears to have died in favour of slanderous belittling of our opposers (look at the behaviour of our so called political leaders in any of the world's parliaments) . 

It often amazes me to see some of the comments by the proletariat (if there is such a thing these days) on open platforms like Facebook, indicating that so many can be so easily misled by such obviously suspicious interpretation and opinion, often thinly disguised or even intentionally misrepresented as ‘fact’.

It certainly doesn't help when some ‘news’ writers seem to purposely distort their ‘evidence’ in favour of one particular bias or another, while attempting to present themselves as impartial.  I take some limited delight in picking apart some of the commercial breakfast TV channels here in OZ, although the entertainment value of blatant ‘news’ distortion wears thin after a while.

I find that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, whether on radio or TV, is relatively trustworthy, but it is sorely underfunded by the government and cannot compete with the constant ‘in your face’ exposure of commercial channels and certain tabloid newspapers (or their apps and on-line equivalents) of well-known and, in my mind, well proven bias.

I wrote a piece on simplified comparisons between fact, interpretation and opinion some time back, which you may enjoy reading, if not already done so:

https://au.bebee.com/producer/opinions-vary-and-that-s-a-fact  

Pascal Derrien

2 years ago #3

Ignorance can be dangerous if not candid but equally fake knowledge can lead to propaganda or counter propaganda in all cases we have to be alert 

Greg Rolfe

2 years ago #2

Zacharias 🐝 Voulgaris

2 years ago #1

Perhaps the “stupid” part alludes to the lack of reasoning behind that information. An intelligent person can see through the clouds of corrupt information and the smokescreen of propaganda, even if that information is overwhelming. In any case, listening can definitely help (at least for discerning which people are worth keeping around socially). Cheers

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