I was perusing the op/ed page of the local newspaper the other day.
You know the page I'm talking about. It contains letters to the editor from readers expressing their opinions and viewpoints on current issues. That's the opinion part. There are also columns from writers who are paid to express their opinions.
There is sometimes a letter FROM the editor expressing his/her viewpoint on current situations--usually local ones. That is the editorial part.
Well, on this particular day, I saw a letter from a reader stating that a certain entity did not express the truth. I beg to differ with that. As I see it, an opinion is usually formed after getting background information. The same way with news stories.
Two people might get the same background information and interpret it differently. I have heard it said that ten people can witness an incident and give ten different versions of what happened.
I can see that played out in my own life when Sweetheart and I go somewhere in the car. As we pass by an area, he will say, "Did you see ____________?"
I will say no. Then I ask him, "Did you see _________?" He will say no. It seems we each keep our eyes peeled for different things.
Sometimes, I close my eyes for a few seconds and that is when Sweetheart sees something I wish I would have seen. We hit a deer once that way. I heard a thud as I was resting my eyes. My eyes popped open and the deer was gone, leaving only a huge dent in the front of the car.
I hate it when that happens.
So, anyway, I believe a person should search out the facts, even some that may be distasteful, before forming an opinion. By doing so, some people have come up with new thoughts and new ideas.
(Did I just express an opinion?)
I picked up the trash on the ground around our mailbox this morning. It seems that some people prefer to throw their trash out of a moving vehicle onto the highway, rather than take it home and put it in the proper receptacle.
It appeared that there was a plastic cup and a half-empty bottle of soda lying on the ground. As I got closer, I discovered another soda bottle, a piece of cardboard and several other items I hadn't seen before.
A person has only a superficial view of a situation until he/she can get closer and get more detailed information.
Drastic things can happen when you don't get all of the facts and jump to conclusions.
As recorded in the Bible (John 18:38), Pontius Pilate asks Jesus, as he is deciding Jesus' fate, "What is truth?" That was just before he sentenced Jesus to death.
In the current condition in which people live, even after getting as many facts as possible, truth is, not just elusive, but subjective, as well.
The fact is, when it comes to the truth, only God knows.
Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or make a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com