I am continually amazed by the way different people can view the same exact thing and understand it differently. The most obvious one of these is the way I see our President and the way my father sees our President. Yes, I'm talking about The president of the United States of America.
I had the fortune of watching a whitehouse press conference with my father on tv once. GW walked to the presidential podium, read his statement, then turned and walked away while the various members of the press shouted questions after him. My father smiled and made some comment about how this is the first president we've had who knows how to handle the press. He handled the press well, in my father's eyes, by leaving the stage before anyone could ask any questions.
I on the other hand, felt discust. Here was an educated man standing in front of the people who are supposed to keep the rest of us informed. To me he seemed like he was incapable of being "off the rails" in the press conference. I perceived his departure to mean that he was unsure enough of himself that he would only say what professional writers and the comittee told him to say and that he was too slow to keep up with the questions on the spur of the moment. So to avoid answering things unintelligently or wrong, or even to avoid mispronouncing the big words, he left the stage before the press could ask questions.
Which one of us is right? I think probably a little of both.
Still, I have great respect for my father, but I don't understand how he can look at exactly the same thing as me and come away with 180? different opinion of what we saw. It's fascinating and scary all at once.
I saw this perception thing in a room full of friends tonight. In general, we are all on the same side of the political fence (from what I could tell). But when the subject of taxes came up, it was interesting to see who was willing to accept paying for this or that and who thought money was being completely wasted.
I really do like to people watch and listen to what other people think. These tiny differences are what makes it all interesting. Thanks, guys, for a lively evening!
