Thursday, July 21, 2005
Three times doesn't make it True
I remember from my Sundays in church as a youth, that the Pastor would attempt to get an important point across by repeating the point three times to the congregation. With each repetition he expected the "Amens" to get louder, supposedly reaffirming the validity of his statement.
I also remember that during one sermon, the Pastor explained that when Jesus really wanted his message heard and remembered, he would say it three times. I have not studied the New testament enough to be able to tell you how many times this was done, but I remember that the Pastor did give several examples. Somehow, even the writers of parts of the bible knew our brains are wired to be easily brainwashed with a repetition of as little as three times.
While this is okay in things of faith and spirituality, where facts and proof are not required, it is particularly alarming when politicians, lobbyists, and "community leaders" try and convince us of the validity of their arguments by repeating everything three times.
Too many times I have been watching a clip or soundbite on the evening news and seen a politician or "Community Leader" repeating a short phrase until the third time it is repeated the audience cheers enthusiastically as if to say "Yes, this is the truth we have been waiting for!"
I implore everyone to critically examine anything that is repeated to you three times, especially if the person is using a reverent tone during the delivery.
Just keep saying it to yourself:
"Three times doesn't make it true"
"Three times doesn't make it true"
"Three times doesn't make it true"
There, now you have to believe me!
I also remember that during one sermon, the Pastor explained that when Jesus really wanted his message heard and remembered, he would say it three times. I have not studied the New testament enough to be able to tell you how many times this was done, but I remember that the Pastor did give several examples. Somehow, even the writers of parts of the bible knew our brains are wired to be easily brainwashed with a repetition of as little as three times.
While this is okay in things of faith and spirituality, where facts and proof are not required, it is particularly alarming when politicians, lobbyists, and "community leaders" try and convince us of the validity of their arguments by repeating everything three times.
Too many times I have been watching a clip or soundbite on the evening news and seen a politician or "Community Leader" repeating a short phrase until the third time it is repeated the audience cheers enthusiastically as if to say "Yes, this is the truth we have been waiting for!"
I implore everyone to critically examine anything that is repeated to you three times, especially if the person is using a reverent tone during the delivery.
Just keep saying it to yourself:
"Three times doesn't make it true"
"Three times doesn't make it true"
"Three times doesn't make it true"
There, now you have to believe me!
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Unreasonable Technophobes
Well a big bunch of Unreasonable folks jumped out at me when I read the Opinion/letters to the editor pages of my local paper today. A letter was actually claiming as fact that research into and with embryonic stem cells was Wrong. It was stated not as an opinion, but as a Fact. Talk about unreasonable. Lets go into the WayBack machine when Moral religious folk knew that it was "Just Wrong" to take the blood from one human being and put it into the body of another human being. Now every local church has an annual blood drive. Or how about when it was "Just Wrong" to take an organ from one human being and transplant it into the body of another human being. Now an entire church congregation will request prayers, that a donor organ be found for little Johnny before he dies.
And how about when it was "Playing God" the first time a Human egg was fertilized outside of the womb, or an egg donor was used so that a couple could have a baby. Now one out of five couples over age 30 needs the help of the fertility medicine community (including all aspects of invitro fertilization) to start a family.
Trust me, in 25 or 50 years, you will be sitting in a church pew and someone will request a prayer so that little Johnny's new heart be Grown before he dies.
So if all you Unreasonable people who just can't stand change and progress will just get out of the way, so the rest of us can benefit from the progress that so many have worked hard to provide.
And how about when it was "Playing God" the first time a Human egg was fertilized outside of the womb, or an egg donor was used so that a couple could have a baby. Now one out of five couples over age 30 needs the help of the fertility medicine community (including all aspects of invitro fertilization) to start a family.
Trust me, in 25 or 50 years, you will be sitting in a church pew and someone will request a prayer so that little Johnny's new heart be Grown before he dies.
So if all you Unreasonable people who just can't stand change and progress will just get out of the way, so the rest of us can benefit from the progress that so many have worked hard to provide.
Define Unreasonable
To start ranting about Unreason, one must first define unreason and unreasonable:
1:Absence or lack of reason, irrationality
2:nonsense, absurdity
3:Not governed by reason
4:Exceeding reasonable limits, Immoderate
Since these definitions imply that one knows what REASON is, I will also provide the definition of Reason:
1:An underlying fact or cause that provides LOGICAL sense for a premise or occurrence
2:The capacity for rational thought, inference, or discrimination
3:Good judgment, sound sense
4:To determine or conclude by logical thinking
My idea is to examine old and new thinking using the definitions above, so we can expose the unreasonableness of thoughts that we are actually allowing to shape our existence.
1:Absence or lack of reason, irrationality
2:nonsense, absurdity
3:Not governed by reason
4:Exceeding reasonable limits, Immoderate
Since these definitions imply that one knows what REASON is, I will also provide the definition of Reason:
1:An underlying fact or cause that provides LOGICAL sense for a premise or occurrence
2:The capacity for rational thought, inference, or discrimination
3:Good judgment, sound sense
4:To determine or conclude by logical thinking
My idea is to examine old and new thinking using the definitions above, so we can expose the unreasonableness of thoughts that we are actually allowing to shape our existence.
