Words
All of life is about words. Words that hurt, words that heal, and words that are carelessly thrown away, leaving lasting scars and lingering forever. The problem is that words have meaning, and I'm not just talking about what Webster says.
In English we tend to use words loosely. We say one thing but perhaps mean something quite different. Computers, on the other hand, use words very precisely. For example, if I were to ask you "how many of your employees live in Oregon and Washington?" you would probably identify a group and then provide me with a number. However, if you ask that question of a computer, it will respond with "None." I can guarantee it. Why? Because the computer will know that no one lives in Oregon AND Washington. It's one or the other. The computer uses language very precisely and understands the exact meaning of words.
So...why is this important? Simply because we don't understand the words we use to communicate. Let me provide a few examples.
Hear
Hearing is a pretty simple process. Unless you are actually deaf you hear everything and everybody around you. You may be "hard of hearing" so some things are muddled or unclear, but you likely hear them. That does not mean, however, that you process them. You might hear someone yelling as you drive by on the street, but unless they sound frantic, or say words that suggest they're talking or yelling at you, you simply tune them out. You might even to that intentionally, tuning out a co-worker or another customer because you are not interested or involved in what they have to say.
Saying I hear you means nothing. We think it means something, but, in truth, it doesn't. It really just means that "you're talking and my ears are picking up the vibrations." Those are meaningless words, because they convey entirely the wrong message.
Now, let's talk about a similar word.
Listen
Listening is much more than hearing. Listening means you are focused upon what is being said, but it's more than that. You'll hear words, but you'll also recognize emotions. You'll see nuances in the speech that convey much more than the words ever do. You'll detect hidden meanings and words unspoken. Listening is an active involvement, while hearing is just passive.''
Listening is actually hard work. There's so much to process, and doing it properly means you set aside your efforts to come up with a response, or interrupt with a question or an opinion, and simply Listen. It's a skill not too many people have, or rather, a skill that far too few bother to cultivate and learn to use. Listening can teach you valuable things, and provide a framework for further interaction. It can also prevent a lot of stupid or hurtful comments.
Another word that is far too important to pass up is in a different, but related, world.
Perception
Everything you do is based upon perception. The Truth doesn't matter. Perception is everything!
Now, perhaps you think I'm wrong about that...that the truth does matter. After all, I've often been a passionate seeker of the truth, or demanding that we follow the evidence to find the answer. That's all well and good, and, in fact, I do believe that. But it's not important.
Let's take a couple of examples from the current news and see what happens.
A while back Congress passed the Affordable Care Act. It made some very significant changes to the way Americans receive health care. We all know it is a politically charged issue, and we've heard all kinds of things about how good or terrible it is, or will be. We heard about Death Panels, and people losing coverage, and rates going through the roof, and all sorts of terrible things. We also heard that kids could stay on their parents plan until age 26, that the dreaded "pre-existing condition" was going away, and that Medicaid would be expanded to cover millions more people.
We heard a lot of facts, and we heard a lot of noise, but in truth none of that matters. People heard some or all of that and formed a perception of what it was. Then they went with that perception. In their eyes it was the worst thing to ever happen, or something long over-due, or even just a first step towards what we really need. Then they acted upon their perceptions. Many may have voted for or against candidates who were for or against the ACA based entirely upon their perceptions. In fact, that's almost always the case.
People vote for candidates without any knowledge of what they have done, or what they want to do, or whether their proposed policies are good or bad. Why? Because they vote based upon their perceptions. "He looks like a nice guy." "I would never vote for a woman." "I always vote for the **** party." "I would never vote for a Black man." Notice that none of those are based on facts. They are perceptions.
In fact, if you look at many of today's campaign programs they are based entirely upon creating a perception of the other guy, or bucking up their own image. If you want to get elected "here" you need to have your picture taken carrying a gun. In the last presidential election Paul Ryan had his picture taken in the kitchen of a homeless shelter, supposedly washing dishes. In truth, the dishes were already clean and he didn't wash anything...the picture was published to create a perception. Then he got called on it, and that created a different perception.
Everything you do is based upon perceptions. You shop at this store because you believe the produce is fresher, or the selection is more to your taste, or you like the cashiers. It doesn't matter if any of those things are factually true, because you aren't seeking the facts, you're operating based upon your perceptions.
Now, sometimes people do seek facts, and in some cases they alter their perceptions because of that. A while back a medical insurance company in New England submitted a request to raise rates more than 10 percent. There was a news headline claiming that clearly the ACA didn't work, because rates were still skyrocketing. Okay, it is true they requested that rate increase, however, the request was processed by the state insurance commissioner who said it wasn't justified and turned them down. They then returned some time later with a rate decrease of 0.1 percent. That was granted.
Now, two things happened. The first is that no news headline pointed out what had actually happened. That's the fault of the media, but it's nonetheless true. If you assume that the media wasn't covering the story because it didn't fit their narrative of how bad the ACA is, you might be right. However, it might also just be your perception.
The second thing that happened was that it's likely almost no one changed their perception of the ACA, because they didn't have the truth available. They were left to go with the best information they had.
In the final analysis, the truth doesn't matter, because we all act upon our perceptions. Maybe a few of us seek the truth, or objectively try to evaluate the mass of information, but nowhere near enough of us do. It's like the internet...where people blindly re-tweet or share things that are completely wrong. Remember the Meme about "This month has five Fridays, and that only happens once every 600 years, and it's especially lucky if you do something?" The whole thing is completely untrue...but it still makes the rounds. Perception!
I think I'll do some more words, maybe tomorrow. For now, try to decide if you listen...or simply hear. Think about how perceptions rule your life.
In English we tend to use words loosely. We say one thing but perhaps mean something quite different. Computers, on the other hand, use words very precisely. For example, if I were to ask you "how many of your employees live in Oregon and Washington?" you would probably identify a group and then provide me with a number. However, if you ask that question of a computer, it will respond with "None." I can guarantee it. Why? Because the computer will know that no one lives in Oregon AND Washington. It's one or the other. The computer uses language very precisely and understands the exact meaning of words.
So...why is this important? Simply because we don't understand the words we use to communicate. Let me provide a few examples.
Hear
Hearing is a pretty simple process. Unless you are actually deaf you hear everything and everybody around you. You may be "hard of hearing" so some things are muddled or unclear, but you likely hear them. That does not mean, however, that you process them. You might hear someone yelling as you drive by on the street, but unless they sound frantic, or say words that suggest they're talking or yelling at you, you simply tune them out. You might even to that intentionally, tuning out a co-worker or another customer because you are not interested or involved in what they have to say.
Saying I hear you means nothing. We think it means something, but, in truth, it doesn't. It really just means that "you're talking and my ears are picking up the vibrations." Those are meaningless words, because they convey entirely the wrong message.
Now, let's talk about a similar word.
Listen
Listening is much more than hearing. Listening means you are focused upon what is being said, but it's more than that. You'll hear words, but you'll also recognize emotions. You'll see nuances in the speech that convey much more than the words ever do. You'll detect hidden meanings and words unspoken. Listening is an active involvement, while hearing is just passive.''
Listening is actually hard work. There's so much to process, and doing it properly means you set aside your efforts to come up with a response, or interrupt with a question or an opinion, and simply Listen. It's a skill not too many people have, or rather, a skill that far too few bother to cultivate and learn to use. Listening can teach you valuable things, and provide a framework for further interaction. It can also prevent a lot of stupid or hurtful comments.
Another word that is far too important to pass up is in a different, but related, world.
Perception
Everything you do is based upon perception. The Truth doesn't matter. Perception is everything!
Now, perhaps you think I'm wrong about that...that the truth does matter. After all, I've often been a passionate seeker of the truth, or demanding that we follow the evidence to find the answer. That's all well and good, and, in fact, I do believe that. But it's not important.
Let's take a couple of examples from the current news and see what happens.
A while back Congress passed the Affordable Care Act. It made some very significant changes to the way Americans receive health care. We all know it is a politically charged issue, and we've heard all kinds of things about how good or terrible it is, or will be. We heard about Death Panels, and people losing coverage, and rates going through the roof, and all sorts of terrible things. We also heard that kids could stay on their parents plan until age 26, that the dreaded "pre-existing condition" was going away, and that Medicaid would be expanded to cover millions more people.
We heard a lot of facts, and we heard a lot of noise, but in truth none of that matters. People heard some or all of that and formed a perception of what it was. Then they went with that perception. In their eyes it was the worst thing to ever happen, or something long over-due, or even just a first step towards what we really need. Then they acted upon their perceptions. Many may have voted for or against candidates who were for or against the ACA based entirely upon their perceptions. In fact, that's almost always the case.
People vote for candidates without any knowledge of what they have done, or what they want to do, or whether their proposed policies are good or bad. Why? Because they vote based upon their perceptions. "He looks like a nice guy." "I would never vote for a woman." "I always vote for the **** party." "I would never vote for a Black man." Notice that none of those are based on facts. They are perceptions.
In fact, if you look at many of today's campaign programs they are based entirely upon creating a perception of the other guy, or bucking up their own image. If you want to get elected "here" you need to have your picture taken carrying a gun. In the last presidential election Paul Ryan had his picture taken in the kitchen of a homeless shelter, supposedly washing dishes. In truth, the dishes were already clean and he didn't wash anything...the picture was published to create a perception. Then he got called on it, and that created a different perception.
Everything you do is based upon perceptions. You shop at this store because you believe the produce is fresher, or the selection is more to your taste, or you like the cashiers. It doesn't matter if any of those things are factually true, because you aren't seeking the facts, you're operating based upon your perceptions.
Now, sometimes people do seek facts, and in some cases they alter their perceptions because of that. A while back a medical insurance company in New England submitted a request to raise rates more than 10 percent. There was a news headline claiming that clearly the ACA didn't work, because rates were still skyrocketing. Okay, it is true they requested that rate increase, however, the request was processed by the state insurance commissioner who said it wasn't justified and turned them down. They then returned some time later with a rate decrease of 0.1 percent. That was granted.
Now, two things happened. The first is that no news headline pointed out what had actually happened. That's the fault of the media, but it's nonetheless true. If you assume that the media wasn't covering the story because it didn't fit their narrative of how bad the ACA is, you might be right. However, it might also just be your perception.
The second thing that happened was that it's likely almost no one changed their perception of the ACA, because they didn't have the truth available. They were left to go with the best information they had.
In the final analysis, the truth doesn't matter, because we all act upon our perceptions. Maybe a few of us seek the truth, or objectively try to evaluate the mass of information, but nowhere near enough of us do. It's like the internet...where people blindly re-tweet or share things that are completely wrong. Remember the Meme about "This month has five Fridays, and that only happens once every 600 years, and it's especially lucky if you do something?" The whole thing is completely untrue...but it still makes the rounds. Perception!
I think I'll do some more words, maybe tomorrow. For now, try to decide if you listen...or simply hear. Think about how perceptions rule your life.