ON THE OTHER HAND

the more we know, the more we need to learn

My sister-in-law and mother-in-law are visiting for a few days and provide the source of yet another interesting thought about well......thoughts and opinions. They had driven all day, visited a sick relative in the hospital and endured a hockey game on the tube after dinner. My sister-in-law was fairly sleepy by 8:30 but hoped to find something on our shelves to read prior to dreamland. She said that she didn't want to learn anything, just enjoy a story. She is also quite a strong Christian, thus providing a target for a barb or two from yours truly - not that I would take advantage of a woman in a state of exhaustion, you understand. Anyway I suggested a book title that caused a tic to develop on her right cheek, so I knew I had hit the spot. But then, ever the caring host, I held up a book from my chair-side table named "What's So Amazing About Grace" by Philip Yancey. I quite proudly informed her that I was an equal opportunity reader. She recognized the book and the tic seemed to settle down nicely. The other book I had suggested for her bedtime pleasure was written by Christopher Hitchens and called, "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything."
Now, you may be surprised to learn that I have occasionally had an opinion or two on a variety of issues, but my earlier comment about being an equal opportunity reader sparked some cranial activity. I set aside the pain that this caused and realized that I am often guilty of expressing a biased thought, based on one side of the research. I'm not alone on that train either. How can we be so certain of the rightness of our ideas without looking at the information lined up on the other side and with a strong dose of objectivity considering the opposing view. I see it all the time in the media as they present information and draw conclusions from one point of view. Every morning around the water cooler, I can hear the results of people expressing strong opinions based on one set of "facts" about everything from racial intolerance to environmental issues, sports and politics. I suspect that these opinions are based on a single source of information that makes a better statement than a discussion.
I would like to say that I will not express any more opinions without thoroughly researching every side of the argument, however when you live your life being right each time....oh, where did that tic on my cheek come from?