LIVING AND LEARNING

There is a lot to be said - none of it positive - about not being able to "teach and old dog new tricks." I simply do not blieve that after a number of years our ability to learn, to reason, and yes - to change our minds - have become atrophied.

In my years on radio, in mouth-to-mouth combat with callers, I was impressed (or depressed - take your pick) with the nubmer of people who not only could not change their minds, but clung fiercely to opinions based on their own personal prejudices.

I do not suggest that everyone should experience a Paul-like epiphany on one's own road to Damascuds, but at least with an open mind, to be able to alter ones most precious beliefs.

I am stimulated to write this because of what Mark Kolke wrote in "Mark's Musings" on this January 6th. I quote: "If we are to learn - and if you believe it is not the world's job, but rather our own job to do the learning - I think we need to dream bigger and better, shoot higher and demand more of ourselves rather than of others. As for Dyer's doom and gloom comments, he is a master purveyor of gloomy, though often accurate, predictions of man's undoing."

I think that the human flexbility inherent in being able to change one's mind, is absolutely fundamental to any kind of human growth. We all expect our children to be able to0 develop new ideas - that's what growing uhp is all about. Sadly, some of them do not grow intellectually because they sit each evening at dinner with parents who have long since stopped thinking and believe today what they believed yesterday or a year ago, in spite of new information. So - if the parent is a bigot, chances are the child with have to wrestle with personal bigotry. The good ones survive, taking in new informatiopn and allowing their minds to change.

My favourite window on stupidity is the "streeter." That's where the TV News department, bereft of ideas, does a straw poll of people in the street, usually hearing only from those who have the time to stop. Most of the time what they` say i pure rubbidsh. Sadly, we think we are finding out "what people think." The word "think" is misplaced.

The political comments are always lulus, liike: "My family, right back to my grandparents, have always been Conservatives, and so am I." (Or Liberals or anarchists - that's not the point.)

We must be able to absorb new information no matter how old a dog we may be.
Mark's comment grew from a piece about Global Warming. I understood what he meant.
But I also understand that there is an enormous gap in the ability of people to reach thougjhful conclusions. Like the comment when the weather turns cold and snowy (as it has this winter) that "so what's all this stuff about global warmikng - ha-ha."

I've tried to no avail, to meet this absurd comment with something like: "We're talking about climatge change. There will always be temperature changes, but with the eqathr's atmosphere heating up by just a degree or two, the evaporation from our oceans increases and adds to the airborne moisture, hence more snow, rain and freezing rain. It may be also thast climate change affects the jet stream brining it farther souht."

One cold week does not mean that the stuff about polar brear habitats is rubbish.

Think. There is nothing wrong with changing your mind.