Thursday, August 14, 2008

Learning from Other Perspectives

One of the best things I did during my years of driving the rural roads of OH, PA and WV was to listen to the religious broadcasts that were the only alternative to farm-related futures. (Those farm futures broadcasts could cure insomnia. Even thinking about them years later makes me yawn.) I regularly had to turn off the radio when the hellfire and damnation preacher started to rant, especially when it turned explicitly anti-Mormon (as it did more frequently than you might imagine), but I also heard some fabulous sermons from slightly different perspectives than I had considered previously.

I learned things - gained insights - that I probably wouldn't have learned without hearing them from that type of source. Honestly, I ended up rejecting or being bored by 75-90% of what I heard, but the 10-25% that enlightened me was worth sorting through the garbage to find.

5 comments:

sojourner said...

The Truth runs like a golden thread through all human perspective.....waiting to be heard.

adamf said...

I felt similarly after reading Dawkins' "The God Delusion." My question, however, is how much of these types of "other perspectives" can one or should one really take in on a regular basis? I didn't lose my faith over Dawkins, but I imagine if I was reading that kind of stuff all the time it would start to wear on me.

Jami said...

It's always that 10-25% that makes slogging through the whole 100% worthwhile. Almost everything has the potential to teach us if we are seeking and humble.

Papa D said...

Great quote, sojourner. Thanks for sharing it.

adam, I understand your question/concern completely. I certainly would NOT suggest becoming immersed in stuff that generally is crap but contains 10% gold. That just means that you are covering yourself almost totally in crap. *grin*

My general rule is that almost anything can TEACH me, but far fewer things can FEED me. If I ever end up being taught more than I am being fed, I will be in trouble. Otoh, as long as I am being well-fed, I can handle wading through a little crap to learn something.

I hope that makes sense.

Jami, maintaining a seeking spirit and a humble heart certainly are key.

adamf said...

"NOT suggest becoming immersed in stuff that generally is crap but contains 10% gold. That just means that you are covering yourself almost totally in crap."

Hah! But Gold will last much longer than crap! lol.