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I swear, I can say the Oath for witnesses in my sleep now...
Anyway, on to the day's musings. Or rather, yesterday's musings that I didn't post because I ended up sacking out on the couch for most of the night. Yes, I was that tired. Had a bath and the ritual That Time Of The Month Mega Mug of Cocoa, and was still feeling like I'd been through the wringer. I did manage to stay awake for Buffy though, and it was worth it - it was the Buffy Robot episode, and I laughed myself silly.
But I've been sidetracked again. Happens a lot, that does.
The case at work that so wasted me was a criminal contest - a not guilty plea. An incident in a pub during which a bloke was headbutted by another bloke, who was charged with assault. There were several witnesses, and while I didn't hear all of them, having to leave before the case ended, I did hear four versions of the same story. Not a lopt of variation, just enough to make me think.
The victim's version played up himself as the innocent man attacked without provocation. The defendant's version painted the victim as giving as much as he got, and the defendant acting out of fear of being assaulted himself. The bloke who had been drinking with the victim gave a watered-down version of the victim's story, and the bouncer said that both parties were aggressive and argumentative, and that if one hadn't hit first, then the other probably would have. Out of all of these stories, I'm inclined to believe the bouncer the most, because he was the only one without a stake in the case, other than making sure he wasn't considered negligent in his bouncing duties.
Truth, whichever way you look at it, is not absolute. Because the moment our senses take in data, it is processed in the brain and coloured by out previous experiences, our beliefs, or prejudices. It's a known scientific fact that our brains have to simplify the information we receive, if only to deal with the sheer wealth of data. And once that simplification process begins, the information is no longer the same as it was 'outside'.
Second-hand information is even worse, because it's already been through processing in one person's brain, and then undergoes further processing in your own. Add to that the motivation of the person giving that information, and there's no way anything is simply, "The Truth".
This is what I see in every case in court, the way events are interpreted and misinterpreted and changed and played up or down in an effort to achieve an aim - a lower sentence, a dismissal of the case, an intervention order, an award of money, a victory over the other party. There is no absolute truth, not even if the magistrate was there and witnessed it with his own eyes, because it's processed in his brain too.
*grins* There's your dose of pop-philosophy for the week. I really should stop thinking so much
***
In domestic-type news, we've been having another cold snap. The last few nights, the temperature has dropped to -1 degrees Celsius. Not much to you Northern 'Spherers, I know, but this is Australia. We don't do cold. On the other hand, I've been known to cope quite well with summers where the temperature doesn't drop below 30 degrees for weeks, while my friends on the Other Side (of the world, that is *grins*) would die of heat exhaustion away from their air conditioners. So nyah. It's cold. :) Although Yasmin is finding it colder than me. Be glad you're not visiting this weekend, mate. *grins*
Book discussion tonight, for that rather lame Drewe book. Leanne didn't even finish it. I'm taking myself down to the local bottleshop for a bottle of red to make the discussion easier to cope with. ;) I also have a dinner invite on Saturday with the Veggie Group again. Cool bananas. :)
If I don't post tomorrow, it may be because I can't actually see enough to go online - I've got my optometrist's appointment at 11.30, and since it's a full exam (for new contact lenses), I doubt I'll be up to focussing on a screen for long. Last time I went they used the pupil dilating stuff, and I had to get BRM to take me home since I couldn't see (it was summer, and very, very bright outside - Bright light! Bright light!) If it happens again, I might have to call Dad.
Music recommendation for you this time, although not exactly available to those o'seas. RRR is an independant radio station in Melbourne that survives by subscriptions and plays non-commercial music. Every so often they put out a CD. The one I'm reccomending is "Used And Recovered By", which is fifteen Aussie songs (most of them well-known) covered by fifteen alternative Aussie artists. So you have things like ACDC covered by Sea Stories, who are a semi-folk outfit, and Hunters and Collectors' "Throw Your Arms Around Me" turned into a pop-y tune sung by a girl by the name of Mary-Jo Starr. Bizarre, yet very, very enjoyable. Another one to bring to Dexcon.
Next reccomendation will be less parochial, I promise. :)
Anyway, on to the day's musings. Or rather, yesterday's musings that I didn't post because I ended up sacking out on the couch for most of the night. Yes, I was that tired. Had a bath and the ritual That Time Of The Month Mega Mug of Cocoa, and was still feeling like I'd been through the wringer. I did manage to stay awake for Buffy though, and it was worth it - it was the Buffy Robot episode, and I laughed myself silly.
But I've been sidetracked again. Happens a lot, that does.
The case at work that so wasted me was a criminal contest - a not guilty plea. An incident in a pub during which a bloke was headbutted by another bloke, who was charged with assault. There were several witnesses, and while I didn't hear all of them, having to leave before the case ended, I did hear four versions of the same story. Not a lopt of variation, just enough to make me think.
The victim's version played up himself as the innocent man attacked without provocation. The defendant's version painted the victim as giving as much as he got, and the defendant acting out of fear of being assaulted himself. The bloke who had been drinking with the victim gave a watered-down version of the victim's story, and the bouncer said that both parties were aggressive and argumentative, and that if one hadn't hit first, then the other probably would have. Out of all of these stories, I'm inclined to believe the bouncer the most, because he was the only one without a stake in the case, other than making sure he wasn't considered negligent in his bouncing duties.
Truth, whichever way you look at it, is not absolute. Because the moment our senses take in data, it is processed in the brain and coloured by out previous experiences, our beliefs, or prejudices. It's a known scientific fact that our brains have to simplify the information we receive, if only to deal with the sheer wealth of data. And once that simplification process begins, the information is no longer the same as it was 'outside'.
Second-hand information is even worse, because it's already been through processing in one person's brain, and then undergoes further processing in your own. Add to that the motivation of the person giving that information, and there's no way anything is simply, "The Truth".
This is what I see in every case in court, the way events are interpreted and misinterpreted and changed and played up or down in an effort to achieve an aim - a lower sentence, a dismissal of the case, an intervention order, an award of money, a victory over the other party. There is no absolute truth, not even if the magistrate was there and witnessed it with his own eyes, because it's processed in his brain too.
*grins* There's your dose of pop-philosophy for the week. I really should stop thinking so much
***
In domestic-type news, we've been having another cold snap. The last few nights, the temperature has dropped to -1 degrees Celsius. Not much to you Northern 'Spherers, I know, but this is Australia. We don't do cold. On the other hand, I've been known to cope quite well with summers where the temperature doesn't drop below 30 degrees for weeks, while my friends on the Other Side (of the world, that is *grins*) would die of heat exhaustion away from their air conditioners. So nyah. It's cold. :) Although Yasmin is finding it colder than me. Be glad you're not visiting this weekend, mate. *grins*
Book discussion tonight, for that rather lame Drewe book. Leanne didn't even finish it. I'm taking myself down to the local bottleshop for a bottle of red to make the discussion easier to cope with. ;) I also have a dinner invite on Saturday with the Veggie Group again. Cool bananas. :)
If I don't post tomorrow, it may be because I can't actually see enough to go online - I've got my optometrist's appointment at 11.30, and since it's a full exam (for new contact lenses), I doubt I'll be up to focussing on a screen for long. Last time I went they used the pupil dilating stuff, and I had to get BRM to take me home since I couldn't see (it was summer, and very, very bright outside - Bright light! Bright light!) If it happens again, I might have to call Dad.
Music recommendation for you this time, although not exactly available to those o'seas. RRR is an independant radio station in Melbourne that survives by subscriptions and plays non-commercial music. Every so often they put out a CD. The one I'm reccomending is "Used And Recovered By", which is fifteen Aussie songs (most of them well-known) covered by fifteen alternative Aussie artists. So you have things like ACDC covered by Sea Stories, who are a semi-folk outfit, and Hunters and Collectors' "Throw Your Arms Around Me" turned into a pop-y tune sung by a girl by the name of Mary-Jo Starr. Bizarre, yet very, very enjoyable. Another one to bring to Dexcon.
Next reccomendation will be less parochial, I promise. :)
