SEEING + + = UNDERSTANDING
Have you ever looked at a situation and thought you knew what was going on? As time developed and more facts were revealed, you then found out that the situation was nothing like you thought it was. This happens all the time to us. Whether it is in the personal realm, the social realm, the national or international realm, a situation happens and we see what is happening on the surface. We think we understand what is going on and then Boom! some sort of information is brought out, and what we thought was happening is entirely different than what was really happening.
To put this into perspective, think about the Kennedy assassination. That event was captured on film and we thought we knew what was going on. Our beloved president was killed and a man was arrested for the crime. The evidence pointed to him and we thought that was all there was to the situation. A few days later, that man was killed and all of a sudden we wondered, “What is going on in Dallas?” Time continued on, the Warren Report was released, and we were all supposed to put the matter to rest. The matter is still not at rest, and perhaps we will never really know what happened and what was happening behind the scenes because the real facts have never been released.
This continues to happen today. Think of the Kavanaugh hearings; some people saw a man who was unfit for office, other people saw a man who was being destroyed by people who had an agenda. Or take the Mueller investigation; some people see evidence of Russian collusion everywhere, others see a man on a witch hunt. Look at the Paris riots, are they really just about a gasoline tax? What is the truth? How do we recognize what is really going on?
Most of the time, it takes a while to recognize what is happening in these different situations. We have to sit back, wait and not jump to any conclusions or on any bandwagon. Eventually the real facts will come out and we will all gain some perspective. Seeing a situation on the surface or in the news is not enough to gain a real understanding of what is happening. Seeing is only part of the equation. If we want understanding, we will have to put our biases aside, do some research, and see if we can come up with the facts. Then we may recognize what is happening and gain some understanding of the situation.
SEEING + THE FACTS + RECOGNITION = UNDERSTANDING
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Valerie, what a deeply thoughtful post. Thank you for sharing this wisdom. It’s so important to keep this in mind, especially with information being poured on us in every form and place. Blessings!
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
BRAUNS NEED FACTS—OR ACCEPTABLE BELIEFS—FOR FUEL@
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Thank you so much for the reblog! Blessings to you!
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CHRISTIAN DITTO-BURGERS! 😀
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You make an important argument, Valerie. If all of us were less willing to make a snap judgment, on so many different levels, our personal and public discourse would be more civil and edifying.
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Yes, it would. The hardest thing is getting the facts. That can sometimes be very difficult, if not impossible to get, depending on who is holding the information on them! Thanks for the comment!
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in literature, in the story more specifically, there is the superficial text, the one that reads without thinking much, and the subtext, which is below the surface. there is true text. in journalism we follow a basic rule: to know, to listen, all sides involved in a subject. so I’ve been guiding myself over the years. maturity also teaches us to preserve calm before any hasty judgment. Beautiful text, very thoughtful and profound.
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Thank you so much for your comment. What a great way to look at any situation. So glad you know what to do. Hopefully we can all learn to do it that way! Blessings to you!
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Excellent and so true. A healthy dose of PRUDENCE is recommended in daily life situations always. I find myself constantly jumping to my own interpretation of what someone meant or implied if I am not careful. It’s so important to put down our “dukes” and listen. Hard to do sometimes, but always important.
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Yes, I better put down my dukes because I am not that big and easy to flatten! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for your insight!!! ❤ ❤ ❤
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I, as a historian, understand the value of allowing time to pass, therefore to create proper perspective.
Consider JFK, for example. Robert Dallek, in his 2003 biography of Kennedy, became the first historian to use all of JFK’s medical records. Dallek revealed that JFK had spent most of his life at death’s door and in constant need of pain pills. This revelation places JFK’s superb performance during the Cuban Missile Crisis in a different light: JFK, on pain pills, was more on the ball than those not on pain pills.
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Yes, and he was a lot brighter than those around him. Thanks for the insightful comment!
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Yes, and he read “The Guns of August” and learned lessons from it.
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This happens all the time with a family member. I get so frustrated!
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Yes, it is difficult. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing. Then we don’t land in hot water! 🙂 🙂 🙂
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I used to accept without question whatever my leaders told me or whatever I saw on the news, unless, of course, it was something obviously contrary to God’s Word. I was able to discern that, for the most part. But, as to what really happened with JFK, or as to what is really going on with Russia or our government leaders today or in other countries, or as to whether or not what we see and hear and read in the news is really the truth or not, we can’t trust man to tell us the truth. The Lord taught me that.
For, we live in an age of great deception, and anything can be faked. So, the only way we are going to even begin to know the truth is that we have to lay down our preconceived notions about things and our gullibility to accept whatever we see and hear as fact. And, we have to go before God in prayer and inquire of him as to what is true and what is false, and then we must be willing to listen to him and let him show us the truth and the lies.
And, yes, this will mean we will have to do research, but the problem today is that the internet is very locked down to where you can’t hardly get the information you used to be able to get maybe 10 years ago. And, knowing who you can believe and who you can trust is very difficult. So, just take it to the Lord in prayer. Ask him to show you what is true and what is false and be willing to change what you always believed about most everything if the Lord shows you something different.
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Excellent thoughts…I agree completely! thank you so much for your comment!
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You are welcome! Thanks for writing back. 🙂
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Lots go on behind-the-scenes. To quote a movie line, “Nothing is an accident”, which sadly is often the case.
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Yes, there are layers upon layers, in the physical and the spiritual realms!
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