Reference Point

Have you ever been in a mixer or a backyard barbeque or water cooler discussion and a topic is discussed with personal opinions when someone starts quoting Einstein or Socrates or Mister Rodgers?

It may not get that deep but someone is spouting quotations from books or films or referencing old television shows or vinyl records.

The polite response is to nod and laugh as if the association was familiar when it may be possibly totally foreign as if spoken in another language. How do you translate?

Some boldness might ask for explanation to the reference, thus challenging the speaker’s knowledge of the material. Some will pull out their phones to Google the topic to better inform themselves with the subject.

Quoting other’s quotations has been a natural practice to elevate aristocrats showing their knowledge of what others couldn’t reference.

Unfortunately more people know how to read and more material is made available to reference and hopefully the views and opinions are better understood by the masses (?).

The consumption of all the readings and teachings and presentations and learning’s and listening along with personal experiences should make an individual’s thoughts and opinions one’s own. That is how we shape our values.

When an opinion is challenged a debate should incur unless one of the participants only has reference points from other’s points of view and no original cogitation to the context of the question.

Again from a previous post, it depends what information one consumes to set upon their values.

Some quote their religious teachings to answer any question from what to eat, how to treat others to whom to distrust. Some quote scientific theories as a constant shifting definitions of hypothesis combined with mathematics and physics. Many only regurgitate pop culture memorable moments.

These reference points will differ if you are in the company of some old army buddies or your talking points in a conference room. Some points will not be referenced in front of your mother, but will be said on the street corner or in the pillow talk.

Today’s news reporting is depended on ‘breaking’ online, immediately urgent flash in the pan videos with a talk over. What follows are ‘expert’ talking heads analyzing and defining what was just presented. If a book is well written and communicative, why do we need a review?

Excuse me if I politely nod and giggle to your conversation until you come up with an original thought or can define your reference point on your personal beliefs.

That will perk my ears up.