Don't you just love
this funny Shoebox cartoon? It reminds me of how I so often see things in black and white literal terms. The problem I have with literalism (apart from spilled salad dressing) is how I miss the point of what a person is trying to communicate to me. It is like reading a really great novel and getting bogged down with spelling errors and punctuation. The journey out of literalism has been a long one for me because of the way that I love thinking in black and white terms. I have to admit that I sometimes have a fixation on right and wrong. But I think that so much of life is more like art or music. These are neither right or wrong. Their beauty and worth are in the eyes and ears of those seeing and hearing. And we miss so much when we do not acknowledge that.
Bob, I like and can relate to your interpretation of life as "more like are or music". I think we all are prone to gravitate towards interpreting life in simple black and white terms because the world on numerous fronts has become increasingly complex...but...as you state we miss out on so much... and... would add that when we reduce everything to simple black and white terms we also reduce people to good guys, bad guys, and imo set ourselves up for becoming self righteous...
ReplyDeleteBut I don't take literalism, literally. When people say things are black and white they are not really meaning real black and white. And the things they are talking about are not really what they are talking about.
ReplyDeleteThis is why I much prefer face to face conversations with people than by e-mail, text, or even phone. Written words are hard to take any way but literally. Face to face, you can read the other person's face, tone of voice, etc.
ReplyDeleteKB you did it. I am totally stumped. I don't know what to make of this post. I am trying to read it a face value and not over think it, but I am afraid I failed.
ReplyDeleteI am hoping it is a bit tongue-in-cheek, or it doesn't apply to scripture interpretation which is literal accept when it is obviously figurative. Scripture for the most part is black and white as well as God's character or nature. Yes, there are so areas that is dark or closed that seems to be beyond our knowing - "the deeps things belong to God." I wouldn't even call those areas gray.
As far as communication, the definition of communication is when two or more people have perceived what was projected and their is a meeting of the minds.
Any hoo, it has gotten me thinking!