Michael Robert Dyet's Blog, page 17

Point Pelee: All We Enjoy We Owe to Them

Hmmm, it is such atragedy that they will never know the beauty of this place.

There has not been muchopportunity to get away from it at all the last two years with the restrictionsput in place around the pandemic. With things finally settled down, I indulgedmyself with a mini three-day vacation to PointPelee Provincial Park near Leamington, Ontario.

You may know Pelee as amigration birdwatching mecca. I hiked its paths many times in the past beforemy back woes scratched birdwatching off the list of things I can do. Fortunately,Pelee is an ecological gem at any time of the year.

I came across the warmemorial sign at the top of the post near the Pelee marsh boardwalk. Thesentiment it expresses is profound. I am gifting you with a few photos of allwe enjoy at Pelee which we owe to those who gave their lives in other lands.

This shot is from theDeLaurier Trail which honours the DeLaurier family who inhabited that land backin the 1800’s. You’re looking at one of the canals that was dug by hand (althoughnot by the DeLauriers) to drain the marshland for agricultural purposes. It isa portrait in soul soothing greens that I could stand before and admire fordays on end.

This Eastern Comma butterfly was found alongthe DeLaurier Trail. Eastern Commasare not cooperative when it comes to being photographed. But I managed to sneakup on this one. It posed perfectly to display the dead leaf pattern on the outerwing and just a hint of the profusion of colour on the inner side. Do you seewhy this species is called “Comma Butterflies”?

HackberryEmperors do not occurin my usual stomping grounds. But they are common at Pelee where they oftenperch cooperatively on the ground as this one did. The elegant study of brownswith white highlights makes them appear quite regal. This one narrowly escapeda predator to which the chomp out of the wing edge attests.

Point Pelee covers sixsquare miles and four of those square miles are marshland. A stroll around thelooping marsh boardwalk is a must for every visitor. It offers a glimpse ofPelee’s expanse of marsh and some treasured moments of tranquility.

I dedicate this posthumbly to the men and women who lied buriedin the earth of foreign lands and in the seven seas.

~  Now Available Onlinefrom Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites ofPassage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

week.

When I Grow Old and Wear the Bottom of My Trousers Rolled: Gravity Free

I grow old… I growold…

I shall wear thebottom of my trousers rolled

~T.S. Eliot, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

Hmmm, when will I beable to rise above it all and be gravity-free?

I expect there will be atime when I look back on the arc of my life and search for the point at which Istopped caring about keeping up with the relentless march of time. In otherwords, the date at which I hung out my Don’tBother Knocking Because I Won’t Answer sign.

Some will no doubt arguethat there should not be such a day. Life, they will assert, is a never-endingjourney that requires that we regularly renew our lease on it which in turnsmean committing to keep up with the pack. As long as I am in the workforce,that argument is valid.

However, I will beretiring in a little under a year. If it was feasible for me to retire to aremote cabin in the woods, I might choose that lifestyle. But for variousreasons, that will not happen.

However, a day will arrive when I become a dissident in terms of the big three imperatives that seek to define our future.

TheMicrosoft Imperative

Microsoft regularlyrolls out new versions of their software with ever more sophisticated andcomplicated capabilities. Each new version is designed to transform and furtherinterconnect our lives. The effect is to bind us together in an ever tighteningand inescapable virtual web.

TheGoogle Imperative

Google continuously pushes the boundaries of artificial intelligence, cloud computing and consumer electronics. Each advance is designed to anticipate how we think before we think it and provide us with no need to think about it virtual or virtually driven products. I fear for the future of independent thinking.

TheMeta Imperative

Meta (aka Facebook) isleading the charge on the transformation of our lives to being social mediacentric. Each new wave lures us deeper into the metaverse. The end game seemsto be to convince us that augmented reality is better than the real thing.

As for me, when I rollup my trouser bottoms and leave them that way, I will disengage from the big threeimperatives and sever the tether that binds me to the virtual web. It is mydesire to float blissfully in a virtual gravity-free zone.

I will float above all the virtual madness out of reach of the three imperatives. Yes, I will be considered an anachronism and I will wear that title proudly.

~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Reincarnation: A Lilypad Clubtail in My Next Life

Hmmm, if reincarnationis a real concept, what would you choose to be?

Some religions believein multiple souls and that the soul is capable of leaving the body and beingreborn as another creature such as a bird or a butterfly. Plato, in 4thor 5th century BCE, is said to have believed in an immortal soulthat that participates in frequent incarnations.

I wonder sometimes if Ihad the power to decide what my next life would be, what would I choose? It istempting to choose to come back as human again but much more successful,wealthy or powerful. It would be nice to not to have to worry about money orwhat my boss thinks or who I have to please to stay out of trouble.

But great wealth, powerand success comes with its own set of challenges. The more you have, the moreyou have to lose and the more enemies you make simply by being who you are. Itmay turn out that I would have as many worries, or even more of them, than I donow.

I think it would be verynice to come back as a Lilypad Clubtaildragonfly like the one at the top of this post. My lifespan would be very short– two or three months at most.

But I would spend that shorttime hanging out on a lily pad watching the world go by. I would not have toworry about paying rent or finding the money to fix my car or obeying laws I donot particularly believe in. And I would have the freedom of flight to moveabout as I see fit.

In addition, dragonfliesare considered to be metaphors for transformation, adaptability andself-realization – all things that life in these times requires.

So it is settled. I amcoming back as a Lilypad Clubtail.Keep an eye out for me when you are strolling by a marsh pond. I will wiggle myclubbed tail, with its golden claspers, to say: Hey, it’s me!

~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

The Myth of Cyber Security

Hmmm, is keeping thebattle going the real point of the matter?

I promise that this isnot going to be another anti-technology rant or a diatribe about why thingskeep changing so quickly or whether we really need the latest version of cloudtechnology. No matter what I say the technology machine is going to keep onstampeding forward.

Okay, stampeding could be interpreted to be arant so let me change that to chargingforward. Still too judgmental? Then I will go with keep humming along on its own relentless momentum.

What bewilders me thesedays is what it takes to maintain the security of our online systems. There isa constant virtual war being waged in which hackers and creators of viruses,malware, ransomware and phishing schemes pit their nefarious creations againstthe industry’s best efforts to block them.

There was a time whenpasswords were sufficient. Oh, the good old days when it was that simple! Alongcame security questions to verify that you are who you say you are. What wasthe make of your first car? What was the name of the street you grew up on?What was your first pet’s name? What is your favourite movie? Who was the firstperson you had sex with?

Alright, I made themlast one up. If it does get added, remember you heard it here first.

There was a brief periodwhere we had to scrutinize an image broken into nine squares and identify howmany of the squares contained purple monkeys with leprosy. Evidently that wasnot very effective as it quickly faded away.

The latest tactic is tohave a security code sent by text to your mobile device which you have to enterwhen you log into the system. What happens if your mobile device is notworking? You are royally screwed, my friend.

So what is next? Thumbprint ID? Retinal scans? Nose swabs? (Oops, sorry, COVID has already takenownership of that one.) Pluck a hair from your head and drop it into the slotfor a DNA test? Plop your unmentionable on the scanner for a thermal and MRIscan? Oh, the indignity of it!

The reality is we havecreated a virtual monster that we cannot effectively control. We have in somemeasure decommissioned our brains and transferred much of what they used tosafeguard into virtual intelligence machines. Yes, they can store massive amountsof data. But they seem to be the equivalent of a sieve in terms of the abilityto control access.

CyberWars is the catch-allmetaphor for the ongoing battle to thwart attacks aimed at online systems. Perhapsthat term is more appropriate then we have yet imagined.

In modern warfare,nobody ever really wins. It is a lose-lose scenario that drags on interminablyuntil one side declares victory but both sides suffer irreparably. The sameseems to apply to cyber wars. The battle is never decisively won or lost.

Cyber security is amyth. The battle is self-perpetuating. A tremendous amount of effort must beinvested just to keep the battle going which, when all is said and done, maywell be the real point of the matter.

~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions forsubscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructionspage in the right sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week

Random Act of Metaphor: An American Lady on My Windowsill

Hmmm, who should I thankfor the reminder of how fortunate I am?

This past week was afrustrating one for me. Just as I was wrapping up a week of vacation, mytemperamental back decided to act up. No rhyme or reason to it – just thetelltale shooting pain across the low back and the low back muscles going intospasm. If you suffer from back problems, you know how miserable it feels.

I took sick days on Mondayand Tuesday. On Wednesday I decided I had to tough it out and get back behindmy desk. Sifting through 160 e-mails that piled up since the last time I loggedin was the unenviable task ahead of me.

After an hour I stood upto move around a bit and glanced out the window. Much to my surprise an American Lady butterfly was perched onthe windowsill. It is not unusual to see this particular butterfly at this timeof year but unexpected to see one starting back at me from the windowsill.

This American Lady had its wings closed  showing the somewhat drab outer wing. But Iknew as the day warmed up it would spread its wings and show off the beautiful orange,black and white markings of the outer wing. And that reminded me that my backspasm was only a temporary condition that would clear up in a few days.

An American Lady on mywindowsill – a random act of metaphor to remind me that my little pains andgrievances are small stuff in the scope of what is happening in the world todayand that my blessings much outweigh my occasional misfortunes.

~  Now Available Onlinefrom Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites ofPassage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That MakeMe Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Mass Shootings: The Darkness Within

Hmmm, can we drill down to what lies at the heart of the issue?

I really do not want toventure into the minefield of what to do about mass shootings. These incidentsplay out in the media on a regular basis. Every small detail and seemingly everyperspective is explored and at times exploited for days and weeks after theincident. I keep telling myself: Stayclear of it. Do not join the feeding frenzy.

But there is a risk tostaying silent. It in some manner allows me to distance myself from the grim reality.My brain’s circuity can be programmed to become numbed to the horror. Whilethat is in some measure a necessary coping mechanism, it is a very slipperyslope.

It becomes impossible totune out these issues when they happen in close succession as occurred in thelast two weeks. The racially motivated massacre of 10 people at a supermarketin Buffalo, New York was shocking. The murderous rampage at Uvalde elementaryschool in Texas, in which 14 children and two adults were killed, was horror ontop of horror.

I began to wonder how often these tragic acts happen and did a Google search. What constitutes a “massing shooting” seems to vary depending on the source. But one source put the number at over 200 such incidents in the United States this year alone. Yes, you read that figure right. This tells me that they are occurring so often that only the most horrific cases now make the national news.

Canada is not immune tothese tragedies. The 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia resulted in 22 people killedduring a 13-hour rampage. In 2017, six worshippers at a Quebec mosque weremurdered. And in 1989, 14 women were gunned down at a Montreal University. Thisis not an exhaustive list.

But the numbers bear outthat the United States is the epicenter of the storm. The relatively easy accessto guns in the U.S., including assault rifles, is a factor.

The right to bear arms is enshrined in the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In defence of those who drafted and approved that amendment, they could not have known how the advancement of technology would lead to the kind of monstrous, hand-held killing machines that now exist.

Gun control, a ferociously contentious issue, is part of the solution. But guns are an enabler for those who perpetrate these rampages rather than the root cause. Only when we peel back enough layers of the onion to get to the root cause will we really begin to confront the issue.

One of those issues is the Dark Web where online forums exist that the mentally unhinged can access to connect to others who share their delusions. They find vindication for their deranged desires and encouragement to act on them. I do not know what it would take to shut down these virtual dens of hatred. It does need to happen.

But at the very core of the matter is a mind and a soul that has lost its way and become infected with evil. Evil is an all-encompassing darkness. Only when we shine light back into that lost soul, before the point of no return is reached, will we be able to prevent these horrible acts.

~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Need to Relax? Make a Reservation

Hmmm, when did restingand relaxing become a regulated activity?

Fair warning: This is goingto be a gripe and bitch post. If you are not in the mood to listen to me vent,feel free to stop reading now. But some of the things I am going to gripe aboutmight be on your bitch list as well.

The crappy springweather we’ve had up to this week has been frustrating to say the least. Sowhen a warm, sunny weekend finally presented itself, I headed out for a hike atMountsberg Conservation Area. A few hours to unwind and decompress – or so Ithought.

I pulled into the laneleading to the ticket gate only to see several cars stopped and people outside conversing.Then I noticed the billboard: NewAutomated Reservation System!

This is not a self-servewith your credit card situation. You now have to register online and download abar code. There was no one at the gate to bargain with. All of us weredisgusted at the notion of making a reservation to enter a conservation area.

One man went online onhis digital device to register. I said: Well,I’m screwed. Can’t do that on my old iPhone. The gentleman was nice enoughto register for me so I could get in. A big thank you to this considerateindividual for helping me out.

I know what some of youare thinking. You are still using aniPhone? Time to upgrade! But I was raised in an era when something thatcost good money to buy was used until it stopped working and was too expensiveto repair. It was considered wasteful to do otherwise and that ethic still hasvalue for me.

But wait. I am not donebitching yet.

I swallowed myfrustration and started my hike trying to put the bad start behind me. Butthere was more to come. Mountsberg has a barn and an animal petting area. Thereare the usual Be careful around theanimals. They may act unpredictably. and Don’t feed the animals signs.

But a new sign had beenerected. Please sanitize your hands beforeand after touching the animals. A jug of hand sanitizer sat on stoolbeneath it. Seriously?

What message is thisdelivering to children? You may have adeadly disease on your hands that you could pass to the animals or vice versa.So keep your hands in your pocket and do not touch anything. Danger lurksaround every corner. No wonder our children have anxiety issues.

But wait. I am not donebitching yet.

I like to go off trailand kick around in wildflower meadows to see what insect life is waiting there.There are a couple of nice meadows at Mountsberg that I use for that purpose.But both have been razed to the ground and plowed under with mulch dumped ontop. Apparently deadly hazards wait in wildflower meadows from which I need tobe protected.

If the manager of aconservation authority happens to read this post, let me explain something toyou. People like me go to conservation areas to relax, unwind and tune out ourhelter-skelter, technology mad, rules and regulations up the wazoo society fora few hours. If you put technology barriers in my path and impose a list of do’sand don’ts on me, you have defeated the purpose for my going there.

Mother Nature and areclose personal friends. Trust me when I tell you that she is not pleased thatyou are turning her into a check-in first, don’t touch that, overprotective andneurotic old lady that would rather you observe her only from a safe,authorized distance.

~  Now Available Onlinefrom Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites ofPassage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That MakeMe Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

Me First! A Formula for Failure

Hmmm, is agitating to bealways at the front of the line the path to happiness and success?

I was on my 15 minute, mid-day walk around the block earlier this week. About halfway through it, I heard the sound of a fierce struggle between two birds. The squawking and shrieking was quite emphatic.

I turned around to look and spotted two Grackles engaged in a physical battle for dominance. Since this is their breeding season, it was most likely a battle between two males over a mate or a breeding territory. Both were so determined to prevail they became locked together, tumbled out of the tree in tandem and landed on the ground.

If you follow this blog regularly, you know that I filter all my experiences through the lens of metaphor. This mindset kicked in at the sight of the Grackles battling and presented them as a metaphor for an issue that has been on my mind lately.

We are in the midst of a time of festering discontent driven by many factors not the least of which is two years of living under pandemic restrictions. It seems that every other person now has an axe to grind and are speaking out (or acting out) vociferously. I hear a constant refrain:

Iam not being treated fairly. My concerns are not being heard. I am beingmarginalized. I am offended by what that person (or group) is saying (or notsaying.) I am not getting my fair share of government financial handouts.

It feels like each person expects and demands to be at the front of the line in terms of his or her needs. The burgeoning perception of entitlement to government handouts is particularly troubling. The result is constant conflict – a never-ending jockeying and battling for attention and for special status.

This situation is not sustainable for anyone. Clinging to this me-first mentality and continuing to expect someone to solve all of your problems becomes self-defeating. Like the battling Grackles, you will get hopelessly entangled with your fellow competitors and fall out of the race. It is a lose-lose scenario.

The happiest, heathiest and most successful people I know are self-sufficient. They take responsibility for their life, solve their own problems and blaze their own path. Sadly, there are fewer and fewer people in this category.

We all need help now and then – myself included. But a continuous me-first, prop me up, bail me out mentality is a guaranteed formula for failure.

The front of the line isa nice place to be. But your place there is not reserved and it is not anentitlement. Being the squeaky wheel works on occasion. But the wheel thatnever stops squeaking ends up being kicked to the curb and left there for good.

My advice: Learn tostand on your own two feet if you want to be truly happy. If you do so, helpwill come your way when you need it.

~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions forsubscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructionspage in the right sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

The Deafening Virtual Silence

Hmmm, did the Big Manupstairs take pity on me and gift me with an interval of silence?

It is a rare occurrenceand always makes me think there is something amiss. Before you jump toconclusions with any number of frightening possibilities, let me spare you theeffort. What I am referring to is a day in my work life where I receive veryfew e-mail messages.

On a normal work day,they come in at the rate of one every few minutes. On a particularly busy day,they fill up my inbox at a bewildering pace that defies quantification. Isometimes worry that my laptop might implode from the task of receiving all ofthem.

For interest’s sake Idid a quick Google search for “How many e-mails are sent per day?”. I do notknow how they manage to make the calculation or how anyone has the time to doit. But the answer is: 306.4 billion per day in 2020, 293.6 billion per day in2019, 281.1 billion per day in 2018 and 269.0 billion per day in 2017. Yes, youread it correct. We are talking billions.

There are work days whenit seems I do little else than read and respond to e-mails. Keeping up withthem is a never-ending task and the source of no small amount of stress.

Thankfully, I figuredout how to turn off the Ping! thatsignals an e-mail arriving. Frankly, it was either that or smash my laptop witha hammer. As satisfying as that might be, I would get into trouble with myemployer for destruction of company property.

Back to the originaltopic of e-mail free days. My brain responds to the oddity with concern. Something is wrong. This cannot be. Itthen questions me to see what I did wrong.

Didyour internet connection drop? Nope,I checked that. All good on that front.

Isthere a problem with Outlook?Let me test if by sending an e-mail to myself. It came through fine. Outlook isfunctioning.

Didyou forget about an All-Staff Meeting? You know you did that once before. I experience a moment of panic,frantically check my calendar and breathe a sigh of relief when that possibilityis eliminated.

My brain now jumps tomore far-reaching possibilities.

Areyou about to be fired and everybody knows about it but you? No, I have not dropped the ball onany major projects so that is not likely.

Didsomething catastrophic happen in the world and you are the last one to know? Amassive solar flare that fried 90% of the population. Aliens landed andkidnapped everyone but you. An end of the world news report was broadcast andyou missed it.

This worrisomepossibility compels me to get up and look fearfully out the window. There isnothing out of the ordinary in my field of view. Life is still unfolding likeit should. There is no apocalypse underway.

I am left to give thanksfor the small blessing of a blissful day when no one needs anything from me orneeds to tell my anything. The virtual silence is deafening and I could not behappier about it.

Then, alas, the e-mailbarrage, that is the bane of modern, white collar work, erupts again. I expel adeep groan of frustration and surrender myself once again to the insatiablee-mail beast – taking comfort in the fact that I have spared myself theubiquitous Ping!

~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions forsubscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructionspage in the right sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.

The Light of Truth: Sharpening Our Focus

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Hmmm, how can wedistinguish between truth and convincing lies?

In the 2001 movie A Beautiful Mind, the character John Nash (played by Russell Crowe), declares his intention, during his time as a graduate student at Princeton University, to make a breakthrough in the field of Economics at the level of fundamental principles for his thesis. He eventually does in his own unconventional manner.

I am nowhere near theintellectual genius that Nash was and, thankfully, do not have his psychologicaldemons to battle. But I am analytical by nature which compels me to puzzlethrough why life unfolds the way it does, why people behave the way they do andwhat the forces are that drive both of these factors.

I am also somewhat rebellious by nature and disinclined to do what I am told to do if the rationale for doing so appears flawed to me. This tendency earns me friends on one side and enemies on the other.

The perplexing time in which we are living pushes both my analytical and rebellion buttons. Why, I wonder, are societal norms angling in a particular direction which seems counterproductive or counterintuitive? And why are some people falling in line with those norms without questioning the validity of the operating principles?

One of the operating principles in play is that information is a commodity, often with a dollar value attached to it, and is therefore subject to abuse. Information is power and can be wielded for good or bad purposes.

Information and truth are often equated. But they are not in fact interchangeableand are all too often at odds with one another.

Now we come to the issue of technology. The explosive growth of technology has spawned many ways of harnessing and dispensing information to the public. The technology itself is a mere tool. But those who know the ins and outs of how to use it can create their own version of the facts and present them as the gospel truth.

We are all consumers ofinformation. We have to be in order to function in society and situateourselves within it. Decisions affecting our lives require facts and theprocessing of them.

But here is the criticalconsideration. Processing facts does not by definition mean blindly acceptingthem. Processing means holding the facts up the light of reason to see if theyring true. If they do, all is good. But if they do not, we need to push back, exposethe falsehoods and act independently even if that means going against theprevailing opinion.

Light is often used as a metaphor for truth. Light illuminates and allows us to see more clearly. But light alone does not overturn falsehood. We have to use our ability to reason to focus and sharpen the light so that it exposes the web of falsehood where it exists and uncovers the truth buried beneath it.

~  Now Available Onlinefrom Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites ofPassage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me GoHmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2 . Instructions for subscribingare provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in theright sidebar. Ifyou’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularlyto my page for postings once a week.