It Seems that … Everything is Interpretation

Everything, EVERYTHING, is interpretation. Eyes only detect light. Brains only detect nerve electrical impulses. We, as babies, learned via testing to make a theory out of those sparks to construct a theory in our brains that seem to correspond to others' theories. It's a theory.

That theory gets stronger when we add what we hear, and then we taste it, and then touch it, and then smell it, and then confer with others and we make a pretty compelling case for a FACT. But it is still our theory. Because there is no way for the US in our brain to actually experience anything outside of our brain, so we have to rely on saying, "It seems to be..."

We don't start out that way of course. Instead, we start out with, "It IS..." Until we are "proven" wrong by another "It IS-er!" And then we adjust.

It might be good to live life a bit more humbly. "It seems to be..." needs to be used in politics, pandemic discussions, theology discussion, marriage advice, parenting insights, any topic you want to choose. Most of us have constructed a set of facts that we deem are absolutely correct and beyond refute. When that is the case, we sentence ourselves to never learning anything beyond what we currently KNOW to be absolutely true right now.

"It seems that ..." we have to have the intellectual curiosity and humility to ask questions and always be willing to update the mental maps of the reality that exists just outside our skulls.

This means that my position may not be 100% accurate. My mental map may need some updating. But that map will never be updated when I view the totality of the topic as absolutely true and that I can’t be right, and the person(s) who hold contrary positions are wrong. When arguments to defend our positions fail, we often opt for character assignation. Our integrity is on the line. I must defend at all cost. Buttons down the hatches to keep out all other information that may sway my facts. And go on the attack. Welcome to social media in 2020.

But I don't know for sure. It's just what I have concluded so far.

• What implications does this have for you?

• To what degree are you even aware of this?

• How difficult is it for you to admit that you might be wrong on a particular point of your position?

• How would you ever know that you might be wrong? (What counter-arguments do you allow into the echo-chamber of your reality creator/brain that could serve as “fact” checker)?