The sun sets on another day
Sunset was spectacular or awesome or one of 100 other words that describe the psychedelic journey through colors and light. I liked it.
Yesterday started a bunch of stuff. If you didn’t know yesterday was a primary and there were people talking about it online and offline. As I said at dinner at a local restaurant I listened to two people go back and forth with unique sets of values that I still I’m shaking my head about. I expected it to get heated but it didn’t and surprisingly stayed rather cordial. Well most of the time.
It is always amazing to me how people can disagree and adamantly try to destroy the person who thinks that they are wrong. I see this online a lot and over the past several years have begun seeing it offline as well. People just want to argue. People just want to be right above all else including being right.
A long time ago there was a movie called war games. In that movie the main character began playing a simulation of global thermonuclear war with a computer. As he did the computer could not tell the difference between reality and the simulation. Things escalated and eventually the world was on the brink of total destruction. The problem with the computer is it had only one objective, to win the game. Somewhere in the scope of everything that people are that is now the goal of people. It doesn’t matter how we approach it the goal is to win the game. Isn’t it time to stop?
I know this will come as a shock but I don’t know everything. I learn hundreds of new things everyday and as I do I become more in awe of the complexities of human interaction. I learn more and more everyday about computers and systems and dozens of other things as well and each day I stand in amazement of all of the things that exist in this world. For me to say that my perception is the only perception is near ridiculous. Instead I want to open my mind and try to understand the concepts that everyone has to present. I also will challenge and not one side or the other but both sides to determine the possibilities and probabilities of it all. It can be a difficult road to walk as everyone seems to want you to take a side.
This may come is a bigger shock, you don’t know everything either. Consider trying to open your mind and determine possibilities instead of just accepting that the way you are is the only way. There are always possibilities.
In the end the movie had it right. As the mutual destruction of the entire planet was on the line a computer was able to learn the most basic rule that we all should still remember but somehow seem to have forgotten: mutually assured destruction just doesn’t work. Like playing Tic-Tac-Toe you can never win. When it comes to being right and not listening to others I have to say, and the movie said it best, the only winning move is not to play.
So as the sun sets on another day, trust in yourself. Determine those things that are important to you and believe in them but be open to listening to others. If you have conflict with others listen and if they can’t listen perhaps the only winning move is not to play. We can all disagree and still be friends if we only listen and realize that we may disagree but the world is full of opinions. I hope you find a way to live happily and most of all I hope you keep being you, no matter what.
Sleep sweet, love life, and would you like to play a game