Sermon
Interpret your Interpretations
July 21, 2013
Every day in our lives we are faced with the question of interpreting what we see, hear, smell, etc. Once we come up with our answer is that it? Do we simply accept what our first impressions lead us to? Or, do we then strive to continue expanding on what we believe to be able to make the most informed choice? This is the question I have been pondering for some time. I have almost always gone with my gut when making on the spot decisions. If later I change my choice does that mean I was wrong or, was it right with the information at the time? So, what is right, the first thought or the second?
Several conversations have led me to this thought. About a month ago I was discussing the question of if an act in and of itself was evil. The discussion began simply as: Is shooting someone evil? Several said yes. We continued expanding on the scenario slowly with small pieces of information and kept asking with this information, is it still evil? With each piece some changed and some stayed the same. In the end most believed that the act was not evil under the circumstances given. So again, were we right at first or right in the end? Is it possible that we were right both times? I believe that truth is the answer given with the facts at hand.
Recently there was a debate about the Jedi Code. One side believed the code was a lie because in their opinion the code contradicts itself on every line. The other believed it to be more of a guideline or goal to strive for. As interesting as it was to hear both sides of the conversation, what interested me more was what seemed like unwillingness on both sides to hear the other argument. Why not agree to disagree and see what we can learn and use to reevaluate what our beliefs are?
I guess the point of all this, is not to be so quick to judge what is right and what is wrong. Allow yourself to ponder the possibility that there is no wrong answer and that each person’s interpretation of something may not be a lie to one nor the other but, the truth for that one individual. For someone that has color blindness the sky may very well be purple. It is not a lie just the facts as they see it because of their unique point of view. You may think you are short but to someone shorter than you, you are tall. Again, it is not a lie to think you are short or for them to think you are tall; it is all about how each interprets the world.
During the week I challenge you to go out and try to view the world from a new point of view. In the movie “Dead Poet Society” the teacher had the students stand on a desk to see how the room looked different. Try sitting near a sidewalk and looking up at people that pass. Cover one eye and look around. Find some way to see things in a way different than you are accustom and then ponder which reality is the truth, which is fiction, or is it all just in the interpretation of the facts that we have at the time?
Please watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EdWgsTUhmI
