Miracle
of connections made as we bumped across the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn .
. .
Where
does fake news come from? Ideas on radio talk shows? CNN? BBC? Friends, family?
The public media makes the choice for us of news topics. The media then
dictates a perspective. Therefore listeners receive an opinion which describes
topics that are news worthy and which way to interpret this news.
News
and perspectives can come from books. Books are written by scholars who do
research for years by reading other scholars. People who write books may also
receive ideas by discussing their research with their colleagues. Some opinions
may come from their own informed activities.
Listening
to one medium or reading one book may produce some very one-sided opinions. Conclusions
void of the reality that these ideas could possibly be partial or ill-formed or
fake.
Where
do we get ideas about ourselves? Sometimes we might have ideas about ourselves
based on partial information. Psychologists describe our relationships with
others as a circle of thirds.
v
knowing the self
as others know you
v
knowing the self
that others do not know
v
not knowing the
self that others know
I
notice that there is an unknown self in relationship to others because
occasionally I have stupid ideas. Occasionally my behavior is irrational. I ask
myself did I say that? Others ask why did I do that? The comment or behavior
(seemingly) came out of no where, out of proportion. The information that I
have about myself maybe like the news on TV; a limited number of topics and a one-sided
perspective.
Perhaps
this behavior in relationship to others was a new and unique situation. A
conversation with no historical reference, no prior hearing, no preparedness.
So the response seems to come from nowhere. What is required to handle this
altercation is the question. It may require a verbal skill, an emotional
awareness, or a personality trait. It certainly may not come naturally.
Neither
does the performance of jazz piano. To perform the style of "swing"
will require a myriad of perspectives. Eighth notes with bars or brackets or
flags? The scholar will emerge .
. . to read, to listen, to
write, to feel, to practice. Unlimited by family history or regional
proclivitIes my emotional energy is expressed. I may get to know myself.
