The Psychology department at Friends U. requires a senior project for graduation, and part of that project is conducting a survey. The survey can be conducted any way the student wishes, but most students use classes as sample groups. One student in particular decided that a course consisting of upperclassman religion majors would best suit her project. The instructor allowed her to come in and issue a survey during the last twenty minutes of class. It should have gone well, and without a hitch. But they didn't account for me.
Apparently, and I do not know when this happened, I've become an over-analyzing prat. I really struggled with the survey. The survey wasn't that probing, and didn't use unfamiliar words. It gauged personal responses to statements of religion and religiosity. Simple survey- to what degree to you agree or disagree with x. But no, I have to demolish and reconstruct the meaning behind each word in the survey.
- "Well, what do you really mean by
- wrong"
- principle"
- Satan"
- homosexuality"
I seriously dove into the finer points of the world "principle" and how it is inherently personal, and therefore "relative." There were all of these really simple words that I couldn't understand. Not in the sense of "I am an idiot," but that the survey used language with specific meaning, and I couldn't answer the questions because what it asked and what I understood it to ask were two completely different things.
This is what I am talking about when I say "I hate being a philosopher." There are so few points of reference in communication that it's a wonder anything ever goes properly. That we ever come close to understanding anything amazes me, and I don't exaggerate. I certainly don't rule out that two people can't come from similar or identical perspective and arrive at the same conclusion, but the role. . . no, the actuality of "perception as if (dare I say as) reality" destroys me. Daily.
This is a (not) really short note, poorly formed, about how I couldn't take a survey because the words in the survey simply didn't have any meaning to me. I think it's kind of funny. It is the tip of a greater issue I've been dealing with lately, thought, and I don't want anyone to worry, especially those bonded to Christ. I am still quite firmly a Trinitarian-Incarnationalist.
It's just daunting knowing that what I see and know, I can only ever see/know as.
1 comment:
:P I can tell you it's been awhile since you became an over-analyzing prat, cuz I've always known you as that! I miss you my friend...and I've started blogging again...nothing huge or as fantastic and wonderfully insightful as you, but I'm back! Check out your link on my blog! See if you can figure out which one you are! I went to Friends the other day...drove in from KC and found myself driving straight to campus! It calmed me immediately!
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