False Dilemnas
Hi Friend!
I hope that you had a chance to enjoy this amazing weather we’ve been having. I snuck out to Virtues Golf Club Wednesday night, hoping to play nine holes before dark. Surprisingly, I was able to play all eighteen holes in just two hours! I got there at just the right time…amazing experience. I continue to revel in the glory of locally grown tomatoes this time of year. I have a recommendation for you: Add guacamole to your Bacon, Lettuce & Tomato sandwiches. It’s a game-changer.
This past week I noticed a post from one of my Facebook connections (a former high school classmate of mine). It was all text. Here is what it said:
The World: “Trust Your Heart.”
God: “You’re heart is deceitful, therefore you need to guard your heart and trust in me alone.”
Neither The World nor God could be reached for comment regarding the accuracy of these quotes by press time.
My mind immediately began drafting an alternative to both options presented. Here is what I came up with:
Listen to your instincts, trust your intellect and don’t let occasional mistakes hold you back.
With few exceptions, these types of A/B comparisons oversimplify complex, nuanced situations. They are either lazy or bad-faith attempts at swaying opinion.
An example: Black Lives Matter v. Back The Blue. The concepts of appreciating and supporting law enforcement, andexpecting them to treat all citizens in a similar fashion are not mutually exclusive. They work really well together, actually.
I get it, we humans need to create shortcuts, to minimize the demands on our brains’ processing power. Some rubrics really can make life easier. But buying into false dilemmas such as these is not one of them.
The more I observe our society, the more I think we should have all participated on the Debate Teams in our high school years (if not earlier). Many of the weak sauce arguments that seem to whip up polarization these days would fizzle out if more of us were clued in to their poor structure and typical purpose.
We need civil, informed, debate. Of ideas, not popularity contests. I almost wrote “We need to get back to…” but no. We just need it. Now. Regardless of whatever past may have existed of noble, well-mannered idea exchanges for the common good.
I am now one week closer to the grave than the last time I wrote to you. And I am feeling antsy about how inefficient we are at all of this. But it may be true that we are more efficient today than any society has ever been. Maybe Julius Caesar got more done back in his day, relatively speaking. Attilla The Hun was pretty effective. OK, so maybe I should qualify my statement to democracies…that is now stipulated.
But there is so much room for improvement. Getting hip to false dilemmas, and refusing to participate in Us/Them games would be a step in the right direction.
Sunday Supper
Its Labor Day weekend, so let’s get our cook on!! This week I recommend this Grilled Beef Short Rib recipe, paired with Grilled Avocado & Peach Salad w/ Goat Cheese, and these Lemon Bars for a sweet finish. Enjoy!
Sunday Music
I really like Imogen Heap. She is one of one. A bit eccentric. Very brilliant. Here is a recent live performance by her at the Royal Albert Hall. The set list was selected by her fans, and spans over fifteen years of her career. Enjoy!
Have a great week ahead! Offer support to others. Make good use of this day. And let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Neal