Perspective and Perception

"Let's go to the top of the hill" I heard one child say to another.

"Hill?" I thought to myself and then looked in their direction of travel.  The part of the parking lot I was in did slope up towards another.  "Hill" might not have been the right word, but "ridge" or "incline" are both less common.  It isn't truly a street, although I believe it is recognized as such by some mapping systems.

I hopped in my car and also went up the "hill" and then out of the apartment complex and down the street.  Roughly a mile away, Tiffany's version of "I Think We're Alone Now" come on the radio.  I laughed in amazement.  Somewhere someone thought playing this in 2017 would encourage advertising revenue.  After laughing for about 15 seconds, I changed stations (or channels if that is the parlance you prefer).

I arrived at a Staples, initially went to the "Laser Cartridges" sign I could see from the entrance and then saw the printer cartridges along one wall with no distinct sign visible from the entrance.  I looked through my options.  The cartridges I was looking for had gone through a branding change in a vain attempt to convince customers something was improved.  I say vain in my case, perhaps someone else was enthused.  There was a package offering both the color and black cartridges and some "photo paper" for less than the combined price of the separate cartridges.  I have thrown out more "photo paper" than I have used, so I payed the extra markup.  I knew that 90% of the cost is markup in this case.  If I am being ripped off, the amount matters little.

I was then offered some type of "membership" or "rewards" twice.  I declined, twice, and noted that I didn't need a bag, again twice.  I took my leave and headed back home.  A station playing some Michael Jackson which I quickly switched from.  I returned home and walked my dog. On a patch of grass, I saw several pieces of sliced bread seemingly left there intentionally.  I could not think of a good reason ti do so.    

These perceptions were defined by my perspective.  This has caused many to believe (or at least state) that we define our own reality.  I would have thought that creation of machines that could perceive would have put an end to that, but it has not.  Perhaps some people do not believe that they perceive, only that they collect data.  I would say simply that we have an overdeveloped sense of our own "greatness" and move on.

The children, the programming directors of various radio stations, the young men working at a retail outlet were all had their own perspectives.  The fact that many of these perspectives seem to have commonalities is both a product of my own perspective and a product of the fact that the initial sensory input was similar because we exist in the same reality.  I believe that too many people are influenced by money, and so I see evidence of that.  I believe that we create more waste than we should and so try to avoid it.  I believe that the perspective of the small is limited and so I choose to recall evidence of that.  I didn't cause the children to reference "the hill" but I did notice it.  I think ill of the majority of pop music and so believe that more people should.  I think nostalgia is a destructive force and again feel that more people should.

I also believe that perception is far more powerful when multiple perspectives are taken into account.  I believe that we humans have the ability to modify our perspective.  I also believe that our perspectives are part of what defines us and perspective that is truly malleable can be mislead.

And so, Michael Jackson did have a profound impact on pop music, yet I prefer not to listen to his work.  Someone does remember Tiffany's music fondly, perhaps because it reminds them of a pleasant event, but it really has no place in radio play.  Many, if not most, people will buy the package  if they need both cartridges, and some may even use the "photo paper". I also believe that you only purchase ink at a Staples because you need to print something out that day and know that I only think of printer ink on those days.

And now back to perceiving the world around me.

Alcohol and I

Allow me to personal for a moment.

I believe I've spoken before about self-medicating.You see, I have an odd relationship with alcohol.  I do not crave it.  I do not "need" it.  I can generally go months on end without imbibing.

However, once I have progressed down a certain path, I continue.  This can happen on any random Tuesday and is generally uncommon in my life.  But, when I leave the realm of sobriety, I have the desire to continue down the path.

And so, I do not classify myself by any of the labels we use.  I will not seek out intoxication.  I will have a few drinks and then a switch is flipped.  A switch that cannot abide my everyday life.  I desire... more.  This does not seem to have a cut off or any modicum of reason attached to it.  There is simply a significant difference between "having a beer" and drinking.  I cannot say definitively where that line rests.  I do know that once I cross it, my brain does not pause.

There are many interactions with alcohol.  We are humans and patterns may emerge but are rarely demonstrative.  I wished to note my own pattern as it seemed uncommon.  I have heard various metaphors related to "man from the draft board" or "cut off" but I have never felt that warning.  I have gone from "It's time to go home" to "I need a few more drinks" in a matter of moments.

If you too have a similar reaction to alcohol, I will simply note it is healthy.  It is how your body processes a toxin. Pretending that we are unaffected by alcohol is not a solution.  Realizing how we react to a given stimulus is the path to growth.

Brothers and sisters we have a problem

We have again seen what humanity is capable of and again seek to explain it.  We see hate and we try to discover its source.  We see violence and believe that all humans wish to avoid it.  We have seen evil and label it misguided.

Perhaps we misunderstand evil..  Many people think of it as some outside entity, some corrupting source.  As an atheist, I have never accepted an outside entity as the cause.  Good and evil are human concepts and can only be applied to human actions.  Whether or not humans are "inherently" good or evil does holds very little interest for me as I do not believe that morality is inherent.

If you go with the adage "You are what you do", humans can be classified as good or evil.  I would love to do away with labels all together, but the source of the problem is labels.

If you are over 25 years old, you are not a disaffected youth.  If you are a member of the group in power, you are not disenfranchised.  If you choose to embrace the symbols of hate, it is because you feel a connection with them.   If you choose to end the existence of another human being, you are a murderer.  If you commit acts with the sole intent to causing a large group of people to fear for their personal safety, you are a terrorist. 

As I've said many times on other topics, the line is not blurry.  Attending a protest wearing riot gear is deliberately intimidating as is the carrying of torches and brandishing of weapons.  Each point of escalation comes with a decision.  Verbal abuse is not an excuse for physical violence.  Physical violence is not an excuse for the use of weapons.  There is never an excuse for targeting non-combatants.

The saying "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter." is a false equivalence.  If you deliberately target civilians, your political point is moot.  If you commit acts of terror, your motivation, upbringing, socioeconomic group, and even to a large extent your mental state at the time are immaterial.

The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States does grant

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

there was nothing peaceable about the assembly chanting "blood and soil" and gathering under the banners of our enemies.