for those who have ears...

I have always found that bit of scripture a little weird. I know what Jesus was saying, it just sounds weird to me. I get a mental image of someone with and without ears and its just unsettling.

And I wonder, do we actually see or hear what we think we see or hear?

I have read a few blogs today, a few news articles, and listened to a few reports via radio about both conventions. And I wonder, "what were those people listening too" when they talk about what they saw and heard? Because what they saw and heard is different than what I saw and heard. I have friends on both ends of the political spectrum and I can ask them what they thought about X's speech, and they give me two completely different responses. Now I know the speech they heard wasn't altered in any form or fashion - so they both heard the same words and got two totally different things from it.

For the first time in my life, I actually watched both conventions. Not out of nothing else to do, but because I was not thrilled with either party nor their candidates, and I really wanted to hear what they were proposing. The Democrats had control of congress for 40 years and the white house off and on during that time, and did absolutely nothing that they say they want to do now, which begs the question "why didn't you do any of it when you had the chance?". So the Republicans promise that they will change politics as we know it if they can just get control of the white house and congress, and it happened. And then they acted just like the democrats before them. And the American people were once more left out to suffer.

So I am approaching this as a clean slate. They both sucked in the past in their own egotistical, selfish, and power hungry ways. And I heard John McCain say that during his speech. He blamed both parties for their failures. I did not hear that from the other side. I do hear both saying they are the agent of change. Am I seeing and hearing what I think I am?

My theory is people are going to see and hear what they are predisposed to think about one side or the other. So those listening to hear how the democrats/republicans are going to save the world because they are so much better will hear that. Those listening to hear how the democrats/republicans are going to ruin the world will hear that. Because the same words are being heard by different audiences and what each person hears (based upon their own notions of how things should be) is what they believe the other party is saying.

And for the first time in a long time, I think the swing voting, truly independant people will decide this election. Because maybe, just maybe, they are the only ones who can truly listen. For those who have ears...