Thursday, November 24, 2005
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Confusion
# Warning: ramble ahead. You have better things to do than read this.
So many things in life are confusing. Let's start with the definition:
Take computers, for example. They're as confusing as anything - and ironically, they're almost impossible to join together. Ever tried to network windows 95 with OS X? Not much fun. Why would you? I don't know.
Still reading? Good.
The thing that really confuses me is people, though. I suppose that's why politics annoys me so much; all they're trying to do is confuse each other (and, unfortunately, sometimes the public too). Confusion taken to an art form.
But anyway. People. Why aren't people honest all the time? (By honest, I mean saying everything relevant at the first opportunity. Keeping silent when you know something is not honest ;). I suppose it's usually because there's something to be gained from keeping quiet, whether it's keeping others feeling happy, keeping yourself happy, or something else. So there are good motives for it - they just don't often turn out to be good reasons. If people know the truth, they can just deal with it and move on.. if they don't, there is confusion. While tension may be better than boredom, it's not much fun for anyone in the long run, and I think it's rare to have anything good come of it. I think, as long as one is perfectly clear and sensitive, the truth is often kinder.
But I've never been much good at taking my own advice.
So, once you get into a confusing situation, what's the easiest way out of it? You may have got into it without realising what was happening, but now you're there, what do you do? Well, if you've got the guts, you can just face the music and talk about it with the affected parties. Failing that, procrastinate: wait for the opportune moment, or until things resolve themselves. This is not a good option, for two reasons: You may make things worse by waiting; and they might not resolve themselves in a way you like.
So many things in life are confusing. Let's start with the definition:
- Confusion:
- Unclarity or puzzlement, e.g. arising from ambiguity.
- Literally, to mix or join together. The word itself is a confusion of the prefix "con" ("with" or "together") and the verb "fuse" ("join").
- The third season of the Discordian calendar.
Take computers, for example. They're as confusing as anything - and ironically, they're almost impossible to join together. Ever tried to network windows 95 with OS X? Not much fun. Why would you? I don't know.
Still reading? Good.
The thing that really confuses me is people, though. I suppose that's why politics annoys me so much; all they're trying to do is confuse each other (and, unfortunately, sometimes the public too). Confusion taken to an art form.
But anyway. People. Why aren't people honest all the time? (By honest, I mean saying everything relevant at the first opportunity. Keeping silent when you know something is not honest ;). I suppose it's usually because there's something to be gained from keeping quiet, whether it's keeping others feeling happy, keeping yourself happy, or something else. So there are good motives for it - they just don't often turn out to be good reasons. If people know the truth, they can just deal with it and move on.. if they don't, there is confusion. While tension may be better than boredom, it's not much fun for anyone in the long run, and I think it's rare to have anything good come of it. I think, as long as one is perfectly clear and sensitive, the truth is often kinder.
But I've never been much good at taking my own advice.
So, once you get into a confusing situation, what's the easiest way out of it? You may have got into it without realising what was happening, but now you're there, what do you do? Well, if you've got the guts, you can just face the music and talk about it with the affected parties. Failing that, procrastinate: wait for the opportune moment, or until things resolve themselves. This is not a good option, for two reasons: You may make things worse by waiting; and they might not resolve themselves in a way you like.