Finding our way to The Way one situation at a time. I don't know how great it will be, but I expect it will be interesting, and I look forward to it going on past all reason because wonder is just that way. Are you coming or not?
Smoky Moon — Clingman’s Dome parking lot, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee/North Carolina
There is seeing and there is projection, delusion, illusion, (Where does that line lie?), deception, impression, perception/misperception (Where does that line lie?), gas lighting, propaganda, lying, ... to the point of knowing/notknowing (Where does that line lie?) and how do we know we are seeing what we are looking at and how much more is there to what we apprehend/comprehend than we imagine?
Did someone say "imagine"? I was just thinking about that. How do we know where the line lies between what we think is so, what we imagine to be so, and what is so?
And who says so?
And what informs our response to our life as we experience it?
There is truth and there is denial of truth. And where does that line lie?
And who is to say so?
We live on the basis of our impressions and assumptions, our presumptions and our "informed" opinions about hearsay, rumor and gossip.
It is all smoke and mirrors, "vanity and chasing the wind," "waiting, waiting, for the mud to settle and the water to clear."
Where do you go to sit and wait? How often do you go there? Low long do you sit? How do you know what you think you know? What makes you think so?
I'm retired, and still finding my way--but now, I don't have to pretend that I know what I'm doing.
I retired after 40.5 years as a minister in the Presbyterian Church USA, serving churches in Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina. I graduated from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in Austin, Texas, and Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. My wife, Judy, and I have three daughters, five granddaughters, one great granddaughter, and a great grandson on the way, within about ten minutes from where we live--and are enjoying our retirement as much as we have ever enjoyed anything.
View more posts
2 thoughts on “August 31, 2024 – A”
Replying to:
“Did someone say “imagine”?
I was just thinking about that.
How do we know where the line lies
between what we think is so,
what we imagine to be so,
and what is so?”
I came across the idea of “thought stories” in a class for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. When we imagine what someone else thinks about us, it is called a “thought story.” The problem with that is it is an “unconfirmed” thought story. We need to acknowledge that we don’t actually know it is true. If we are dealing with intimate familial or friendly relations, it may be necessary to talk to the person and verify what they are thinking, otherwise unintended consequences may arise from actions based on erroneous data.
Jim Dollar's Photography and Philosophy 
Replying to:
“Did someone say “imagine”?
I was just thinking about that.
How do we know where the line lies
between what we think is so,
what we imagine to be so,
and what is so?”
I came across the idea of “thought stories” in a class for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. When we imagine what someone else thinks about us, it is called a “thought story.” The problem with that is it is an “unconfirmed” thought story. We need to acknowledge that we don’t actually know it is true. If we are dealing with intimate familial or friendly relations, it may be necessary to talk to the person and verify what they are thinking, otherwise unintended consequences may arise from actions based on erroneous data.
LikeLiked by 2 people
This is beautiful! We live in a world grounded upon “thought stories”! We need to wake up, yet we castigate all who appear to be “Woke”!
LikeLiked by 1 person