The human trait of taking things at face value can be a detracting, if not outright dangerous trait. Accepting other's explanation of reality surrenders one's reason and choices to another mind of whom you cannot possibly have a complete knowledge of. When one says they are a skeptic the untutored mind tends to think that they don't believe in anything but such is not the case. A skeptic believes in what the can ascertain to be real and true as filtered through their life's experiences.
If you observe something that appears to defy the forces of nature verily, verily I say unto you that you just don't understand the trick. People can't float in the air, no one can read your mind, and all lawyers lie like Persian rugs. Where skepticism comes in is when presented with a manufactured reality the skeptic steps back and makes sense out of what has been presented in the light of their OWN life experiences, not the presenter's.
My nephew is totally convinced that he has experienced a spiritual event that while sitting on a porch rocks began to fly over a nearby fence from some spiritual realm heretofore unknown. He really believes this and argues fervently about it. I, however, from my experience, know that if said rocks are flying through the air some force is causing that to occur and it is not angels, demons, or Bapu the elephant boy. Same with table taps, automatic writing, and floating, playing trumpets.
Submit for your approval George Zimmerman. The reality of the event that has mesmerized Al Sharpton is a seventeen year old boy got shot. Now that's the truth! There are three positions. The Zimmerman view, the Martin view and the truth, and never the twain shall meet. At one point a shot was fired and a person died. Years ago, while arguing with a prosecutor, I asked him if the truth of the case mattered, and his reply is forever tattooed on my memory. "The truth has no place in this building, and the sooner you realize that, the better off you'll be!"
I'm not even going to try to explain what happened that night only to tell you that what came out of that jury room was NOT the truth! That's impossible. What happened was six women had to come to some negotiated conclusion. If you will note the lawsuits are beginning to form. If the "truth" came forth why must we reexamine it? As Ponticus Pilate reminds us, "What is truth?" Truth is what you perceive it to be at a certain point in time. There were six "truths" in that jury room and what came out was homogenized truth. The civil lawsuits will define a different truth. Like with O.J. Ok, he didn't kill his ex, but he hurt her feelings when he didn't kill her. Now, I'm just a simple old boy from Austin but I can't stick my head up my ass that far!
Look at the truth we do know. Don't walk through Sanford Florida at night with a hoodie on. Boy! I'll bet that statement went over like a lead balloon. OUCH, OUCH, slap dem bees, slap dem bees! I personally wouldn't eat a Big Mac in Sanford, Florida. I'm an old white man, but I do have long hair and a few gay friends. I also don't like my hometown of Shreveport. Matter of fact I don't like the deep south in general. But, that's my "truth." I hang out in Austin and Ocatillo Wells. I tend not to get tarred and feathered near as much there.
The value of skepticism? Just like I know those rocks didn't levitate over that fence I know that none of those lawyers presented the truth and the jury, realizing they had just been served a big heaping plate of bullshit, called an end to the whole sorry mess, and pitched it before the public with about three hundred million "truths" waiting out there. My truth for the day? Frenchi looks real good in shorts!
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