Thoughts to you from yours truly - ( 76 ) - June 14, 2011

Thoughts to You from Yours Truly - ( TYYT ) - ( 76 ) - Going Back to Basics - June 14, 2011

In this complicated world of money and politics it is so easy to become confused. For those who are still human enough to ask what is right and what is wrong some simple guidelines are badly needed. As the golden rule is that there is no golden rule the nearest golden rule of thumb I highly recommend to you is " going back to basics ". Every time we are confronted with a controversial issue the popular tendency seems to be that we always rely on the so-called expert advice. Since we all agree that there is no golden rule as there is no magic wand whom should we trust as the experts ?

In my humble opinion, the short and relevant answer to this difficult question is trust yourself by going back to basics. It is not as simple as it sounds because this solution begs another valid question of what are the most important and universal basics that we can rely upon to make up our own mind ? Well, a few outstanding candidates readily come to my mind. I think they are : compassion, equity, justice, truth and consistency between words and deed. These basics are not listed in any particular order of importance. Each one is applicable to different circumstances with different weight.

To be more specific, I always apply the above basic considerations in my effort to assess the trust worthiness of any statement made by other people especially politicians. When confronted with a controversial issue I highly recommend applying the above basics to avoid being taken for a ride by statements made on that particular issue by all parties concerned to win you over to their way of thinking. In other words, we should always consider whether a statement is fair and equitable ( not one sided ) ; whether it is compassionate in taking into the situation and particular circumstances of all relevant parties ( not just based on a single view point ) ; whether it is borne out by known facts ( not ignoring vital facts or not telling the whole truth ) ; whether it is justified under the principle of natural justice ( not violating basic human rights or hurts the environment ) and last but not least, whether the deeds of the person making the statement are consistent with his or her words ( not saying one thing but doing another ). Having set out the basic considerations I cannot overemphasize too strongly the need to find out all the relevant facts about the issue at hand and to which a particular statement under consideration is related ( not to be ignorant of the relevant facts ). Only by so doing can we be smart thinkers.


JKHC.