I was reading a book by Anthony De Mello, Awareness. In it, this statement stood out to me.
"Truth isn't something you can search for."
he's discussing what many zen writers have mentioned, the concept of not searching, but instead dropping your theories. dropping your opinions, your labels. which brings me to Mark 8:29. Jesus asked his followers this question: "who do you say that I am?"
wow. is there an answer? or a right or wrong one? can we know?
or for a different line of thought, don't assume the question is about Jesus. De Mello also talks about the difference between the "I" the inner self, vs the "Me." the Me is your ego, your thoughts, your beliefs, etc. the I has the ability to step outside that and look in, to examine the Me from apart. to dislocate. I can examine My thoughts. so who do I say that I am? what labels do I put on myself, my "I." human being is an easy one. not really any judgments there. but then what happens when I add "employee," "husband," "brother." then I try to live in those labels.
just some thoughts... anyone have any thoughts to add?
Monday, February 16, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
I say... you hear....
I was recently reading an article entitled "eight commonly misinterpreted songs" (found here,) and I was fascinated with the opening paragraph. In particular this sentence:
"When we read a poem or a story, we bring our own experiences into the text and that often yields vastly different interpretations. "
I've had a similar conversation many times on the subject of the Bible. Each person reads the verses contained within and understand them based on the experience of their life. That's part of the reason I have a hard time listening to a pastor teach on the Bible. my understanding is different from his, and I think God can show each person what they need to see though the specific things in the verse that make an impression on their mind. but this whole thing's off topic. I'm talking about communication.
communication, simple conversation is subject to the same principles. when you say something, that's not necessarily what the other person hears. they're listening to your words, and their brain is interpreting those words based on the sum of THEIR experiences. thus mis-communication happens so easily. basically any time your life experiences aren't similar to the other persons, there's opening for confusion.
so with this knowledge, why do we get so frustrated? because we expect everyone to understand everything how we meant it? has there ever been a place or time where that's held true? upon what do we base these expectations?
of course, one might read this post and draw the conclusion that conversation is pointless, or at least so difficult to get right that it's hardly worth the effort. I disagree. any conversation is a journey, and one must be open to anything along the way. sometimes even though you may not get what the other person is saying, it causes something else to arise in your being. something maybe not intended, but profound nevertheless.
on a small side not, I disagreed with the article I linked. the author draws her own conclusions on the songs. and what does it matter anyway? I suppose I should take the college course she mentioned...because I'm not sure how I feel about which is more important, what the author originally meant, or what the reader/listener takes from it... but what do I know. I'm just interpreting words on a page based on the sum of my life experiences. and that's not even starting in on my own interpretations of those life experiences. whether they be reality or not. silly me. what do I know?
"When we read a poem or a story, we bring our own experiences into the text and that often yields vastly different interpretations. "
I've had a similar conversation many times on the subject of the Bible. Each person reads the verses contained within and understand them based on the experience of their life. That's part of the reason I have a hard time listening to a pastor teach on the Bible. my understanding is different from his, and I think God can show each person what they need to see though the specific things in the verse that make an impression on their mind. but this whole thing's off topic. I'm talking about communication.
communication, simple conversation is subject to the same principles. when you say something, that's not necessarily what the other person hears. they're listening to your words, and their brain is interpreting those words based on the sum of THEIR experiences. thus mis-communication happens so easily. basically any time your life experiences aren't similar to the other persons, there's opening for confusion.
so with this knowledge, why do we get so frustrated? because we expect everyone to understand everything how we meant it? has there ever been a place or time where that's held true? upon what do we base these expectations?
of course, one might read this post and draw the conclusion that conversation is pointless, or at least so difficult to get right that it's hardly worth the effort. I disagree. any conversation is a journey, and one must be open to anything along the way. sometimes even though you may not get what the other person is saying, it causes something else to arise in your being. something maybe not intended, but profound nevertheless.
on a small side not, I disagreed with the article I linked. the author draws her own conclusions on the songs. and what does it matter anyway? I suppose I should take the college course she mentioned...because I'm not sure how I feel about which is more important, what the author originally meant, or what the reader/listener takes from it... but what do I know. I'm just interpreting words on a page based on the sum of my life experiences. and that's not even starting in on my own interpretations of those life experiences. whether they be reality or not. silly me. what do I know?
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