It all depends...
by Joan Marques
While perusing a number of incoming articles this morning, I was caught by this funny thought that we, human beings, are such interesting creatures, considering the fact that we have the ability to find a justification for every point of view. Whatever we want to state, we will find proper rationalization for it. There are just as many theories that will tell you that milk is good for your health as there are, which exclaim the reasons why it's not. There are just as many rationales to tell you why being a vegetarian is healthier, as there are, which explain why people need meat.
Just think of all the organizations we have in the world: While some fight for the maintenance of forests to accommodate our fauna, flora, as well as our lungs, others fight for building more cities to accommodate our ever-growing world population. While some are pro-life, others are pro-choice. While some sanctify the right to die, others consecrate the right to live. And who the heck will tell us which ones are really right and which ones are not? There have been so many people who, at one time in their lives, were on one side of the scale, and gradually, or through sudden exposure to some mind-bending incident, changed their opinion 360 degrees.
It is this confusing, yet wonderful capability that may set human beings apart from all other living creatures on earth. Not that it necessarily makes us happier, though. If you just read enough on a topic that interests you, you may end up being so puzzled at the end of your research, that your conclusion may be, that you know less about the topic at that end-stage, than you thought you did when you started out your investigation.
It may also be exactly this awareness that makes it hard for some people to take a stand in many cases. So, if someone starts an answer, when asked for his/her opinion, with, "it depends;" don't get upset. Just realize that this person may have done more thinking on the subject than you may want to hear.
Having presented this food for thought -- which you may already have considered a million times -- the next comment from my side is, that -- for a right conclusion on any issue, problem or dilemma -- that particular topic should be looked at from every possible point of view. Unfortunately, my friend, that is a practical impossibility. But tell me now: doesn't this give you a slight idea of how much injustice is done to so many of us? Think of all the people who are convicted of a crime, which may not even be a crime from a different perspective. Consider the fact that some things are wrong in one culture, and accepted as completely normal in another. Consider the simple experiential truth that one's heaven is another one's hell.
I cannot escape from the thought that whoever made the statement that "the more we learn, the more we realize how little we know, and how much there still is to learn," was right. This person must have realized long ago that there may not be a right or wrong to anything, because there are too many possible perceptions. It all depends...
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