Perspectives

Just a quick post, as I am still on a borrowed computer, and my new 'old' desktop moves at a snail's pace, thus the main reason for the absence of my activity...

My family was forwarded some email funnies that played fun at the American Southern dialect the other day. My hubby made a comment to our kids about how we base our perspectives on what we know or what we have been exposed to in our lives. This can sometimes create a limited view, unless we are able to think 'outside of the box', so to speak.

For example, traditions are usually thought of as a good thing, something done for time over, something you can depend on, feel comfortable with. But, do you ever wonder what some of them are based on? I like the story of the daughter who taught her daughter who taught her daughter that you always cut the end of the roast off before putting it into the oven. It was a family tradition; something that Grandma had always seen her mother do. One day, they were visiting great-grandma in the nursing home, and the subject of the tradition of cutting the end of the roast off came up for some reason. Great-grandma just shook her head and chuckled, and said she had only cut the end of the roast off because her roasting pan was too small.

This story is just a glimpse of a belief system that someone (the first daughter) came to trust in, only to find out that maybe things or perspectives were skewed. Although this post is just a generalised reflection on things: how we take in, process information and react accordingly, it is something I've been pondering on for a while now. Maybe it was "mid-life" motivating me, but in the last few years, I've gone thru and"redone" some of the thought patterns I learned as a child. As I may have mentioned before, I've also been questioning some of what I considered foundational beliefs bringing them to either crumble away and leave me searching, or in some cases to solidify them even stronger.

Thinking outside the box, questioning perspectives, critical thinking, free thinking...as an exercise of a free society. Hmmmm, I may be back to post some more on this.

What are some of the things that you've come to question? Care to share? I'd love to hear your thoughts.


Oh, and those mighty fine Southern jokes: :D

Alabama

The Sheriff pulled up next to the guy unloading garbage out of his
pick-up into the ditch. The Sheriff asked, 'Why are you dumping
garbage in the ditch? Don't you see that sign right over your head'.
Yep', he replied. 'That's why I'ma dumpin it here, cause it says
'Fine For Dumping Garbage'.

Georgia

A Georgia State trooper pulled over a pickup on I-75.
The trooper asked, 'Got any I. D.?' (pronounced more like, "Ideer" which can also mean "Idea")
The driver replied, 'Bout whut?'


TENNESSEE

A man in Tennessee had a flat tire, pulled off on the side of the road, and proceeded to put a bouquet of flowers in front of the car and one behind it.

Then he got back in the car to wait. A passerby studied the scene as he drove by and was so curious he turned around and went back. He asked the fellow what the problem was.

The man replied, 'I got a flat tare.'

The passerby asked, 'But what's with the flowers?'

The man responded, 'When you break down they tell ya to put flares in the front and flares in the back. Hey, it don't make no sense to me neither.'