I make the distinction between ‘disbelief’ and ‘unbelief’. The one is actually a negative belief construct, that something is untrue: “Greed is not good” or “The earth is not flat” Those examples would be ‘disbelief’. The other is like the dollar that is not in my pocket, non existent. Even though my issue may seem trivial it is still my issue, like the faulty screen door latch that doesn’t snap shut. I can fix the latch but not the other.
Do I believe he did this or she did that; what if I have no opinion? What if I simply have no reason to believe? That would be ‘unbelief’ but common usage begs otherwise, “Yes” or “No”. What I do believe is that clear, concise communication is hard to come by. By not knowing or not caring I have not disqualified the question. Answering one question with another question amounts to a logical fallacy in that it doesn’t address the first question, it only changes the subject. Still, maybe I should do that, “Why should I care?”
I remember a time when I didn’t have time to dwell on such seemingly irrelevant trivia. But that was when I was paying into social security. It was a time when I would drop in to see my dad. I might find him sitting at the table with milk and cookies or walking around his yard, picking up twigs. At the time my concerns were narrow and short sighted. I didn’t want to believe that I would ever experience, (nothing better to do) than pick up twigs. Now I am on the other end of that Social Security transaction and I have plenty of time.
I enjoy good conversation. A good one can take only a few breaths or require hours to unfold but real dialogue needs to be launched, it needs to have a trajectory and either an end point or an agreement to let it rest. Repetitious remembering and recycling the same ideas fall short of meaningful conversation. I am not good at small talk and I often fail that test. Maybe that’s why I love telling Story. You know where it’s going and you trust the Muse to put the right words in your mouth. If you own the story you don’t need to think about the words. But dialogue needs to be measured, not unlike a tennis ball coming at you over the net. Unlike the hook at the end of a familiar story, the tennis ball’s fate hangs on every stroke.
I like that about writing. I can juggle words to fit the need for as long as it takes. It may take what feels like a very long time to organize the best words but only a few seconds to read them. In conversation I sometimes do that, pause in mid sentence, searching for a better word. Sometimes the listener thinks I need help. Their well intended offering, finishing my sentence for me can piss me off and I want to say something rude. I know what I want to say but I don’t like the language my subconscious prompter has suggested. So I self edit as I speak and I must admit, it can be as much a distraction as it is an asset. I think about that sometimes after a big wind has cluttered the yard. With nothing better to do I rationalize for the sake of lawnmower blades; walking the yard picking up twigs, it makes perfect sense.
Do I believe he did this or she did that; what if I have no opinion? What if I simply have no reason to believe? That would be ‘unbelief’ but common usage begs otherwise, “Yes” or “No”. What I do believe is that clear, concise communication is hard to come by. By not knowing or not caring I have not disqualified the question. Answering one question with another question amounts to a logical fallacy in that it doesn’t address the first question, it only changes the subject. Still, maybe I should do that, “Why should I care?”
I remember a time when I didn’t have time to dwell on such seemingly irrelevant trivia. But that was when I was paying into social security. It was a time when I would drop in to see my dad. I might find him sitting at the table with milk and cookies or walking around his yard, picking up twigs. At the time my concerns were narrow and short sighted. I didn’t want to believe that I would ever experience, (nothing better to do) than pick up twigs. Now I am on the other end of that Social Security transaction and I have plenty of time.
I enjoy good conversation. A good one can take only a few breaths or require hours to unfold but real dialogue needs to be launched, it needs to have a trajectory and either an end point or an agreement to let it rest. Repetitious remembering and recycling the same ideas fall short of meaningful conversation. I am not good at small talk and I often fail that test. Maybe that’s why I love telling Story. You know where it’s going and you trust the Muse to put the right words in your mouth. If you own the story you don’t need to think about the words. But dialogue needs to be measured, not unlike a tennis ball coming at you over the net. Unlike the hook at the end of a familiar story, the tennis ball’s fate hangs on every stroke.
I like that about writing. I can juggle words to fit the need for as long as it takes. It may take what feels like a very long time to organize the best words but only a few seconds to read them. In conversation I sometimes do that, pause in mid sentence, searching for a better word. Sometimes the listener thinks I need help. Their well intended offering, finishing my sentence for me can piss me off and I want to say something rude. I know what I want to say but I don’t like the language my subconscious prompter has suggested. So I self edit as I speak and I must admit, it can be as much a distraction as it is an asset. I think about that sometimes after a big wind has cluttered the yard. With nothing better to do I rationalize for the sake of lawnmower blades; walking the yard picking up twigs, it makes perfect sense.
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