Thursday, May 8, 2008

Misinformation

So much is available so quickly these days, just a few quick clicks or key strokes and...voila!

Misinformation seems inevitable. How is one to know what's right and what's not? We're not seeking the ultimate truth here -- only one version. No man is wrong in how he sees truth. Truth can be found in the eye of the beholder.

Misinformation usually starts innocently enough. Someone expresses their opinion about something, something they may not know a whole lot about. Another person reacts to a bad experience and instead of accepting responsibility, points the finger at an innocent or benign issue. It's human nature to talk about things. Sometimes we talk about things we know very little about -- things we don't have a lot of first hand experience with. But we go ahead and express out opinions about them anyway.

Once something's written down, broadcast or published, more people talk about it and pass it on. Nowadays, things often get written down and published on the web without independent "experienced" eyes reviewing, contesting or advising on content. Before long, several more folks have read, copied, rewritten and published it again. The next thing you know, it's been institutionalized. It can be as wrong as a bad hair day, but there you have it.

My ole pappy used to say..."the best lessons learned are the ones learned the hard way." So be it. I guess we all sport our fair share of scars. But not everything we learn must come hard. Still, sometimes is seems some folks just don't know another way.

Masochism can quickly turn to a self-professing legacy. Lots of folks are into being victims. The world these days is full of victims. I should know, I held its standard high for far too long. Taking responsibility can be immediately painful and personal. Pushing it off and pointing the finger spreads the blame around – for awhile. It lets us suffer publicly (often in sweet consolation and pity) without assuming the blame. Regardless of author or actors, the Law of Equal and Opposites eventually wins the day. As it turns out, time is just an illusion. Everything lives on love. All beings and all things are in continuous symmetry.

Being a walking talking dichotomy, I've learned I really shouldn't point a finger, unless of course I wet it first and stick it in the air. One never really knows which way the wind blows until you take that first shot. Or, like my ole pappy used to say..."the first liar doesn't have a chance."

Hopefully, as this blog develops, we'll get more input from other self-proclaimed "know-it-alls" so visitors won't have to listen to one lonely voice of symbolic reason.

Every since those hazy days in the '60s in Vietnam on R & R while enduring my first pub crawl with a few of my wiry Aussie friends, I learned its fun sometimes to brawl -- especially among friends. Fights with friends can be healthy and VERY EDUCATIONAL as long as things don't get too personal. If you respect your adversary and work your eyes, ears, and mind as hard as your mouth, you might just pick up a thing are two. The heart has to stay open though. That's the most important thing.

The object of this blog will be getting at small portions of the truth -- at least as it exists for many of us. We'll focus on lessons learned in wood flooring from those who've been doing it a very long time. We'll muse on experiences, real life and real time. There are few things in life as interesting or as educational as a good story well told, especially when related first hand. Opinions are of course important, but as the man said..."opinions are like *******s, everybody's got one and they're always personal, so they're often best kept to ourselves."

Don Bollinger

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