moneyFYI
Financial Freedom Is Merely Organized Common Sense
Opinion And Fact Are Different
There is a Latin phrase discussed among philosphers in Rome and since. “De gustibus non est disputandum” In matters of taste there is no dispute. The reason being that taste is opinion and therefore not easily agreed upon. My wife likes salmon, I do not. We have little common ground for discussion of the subject. I don’t even know where the grounds are never mind how to discuss them.
Objectivety matters
I can objectively admit salmon, as a food, may have health advantages. Does that mean it must be in my diet? No. Its advantage is tiny compared to other foods I might eat and enjoy. Would eating only a little do me any good? Maybe, but probably not if compared to a larger serving of something else I enjoy.
The question of taste and the value of what you prefer becomes quite complex, quite quickly.
Objectivety is near impossible to assess.
An open mind
People cannot argue taste successfully on any objective grounds, so discussion of religion, politics and salmon should be excluded from social conversation. No one can be proven to be right, because there are no objective realities in play. It is all about perception.
On the other hand, discussion of such subjects allows the possibility that one could learn something. That only happens when one is willing to listen to the other, and find the similarities and the differences that define the boundary between them. An open mind is a necessity for such conversation. The trick is to hold a thought you believe to be true beyond doubt in your mind while evaluating a competing claim on the same point.
Not easy, but dishonest to do any other way.
The barrister’s approach
I was in a meeting in a lawyer’s office last week. My client is in the early stages of a dispute with another. He estimated the meeting to be useless, but his lawyer said, “We need to understand where they are so we can assess the validity of our own position.”
Any good trial lawyer knows both sides of the case in depth.
It’s Easter
The celebration of the foundational Christian event. Being Christian is a matter of taste. It will be both enlightening and building of depth in your faith if you study other taste possibilities. {Christianity and atheism compared – Discuss}
We can accept the possibility that we know less than everything and working on depth of understanding is a worthwhile adventure.
It might, of course, be wise to assess the purpose of the taste each of us exhibits. Perhaps the question, “Religion – what’s it for?” might come up. Without a coherent answer to the question, why even believe?
Peace to all of you
If religion is too touchy, try the same question with culture, politics, climate change, or the merit of competing sports teams.
One thing you will notice is the intensity of debate. Remember the objectivity, open mind, and barrister approach. Or maybe listen to political commentator and professor, Wallace Stanley Sayre. “In any dispute the intensity of feeling is inversely proportional to the value of the stakes at issue.”
The idea is not quite accurate because the stakes are valued differently by the competing sides. Progress will be found by reducing or understanding the nature of that difference. You can’t do it without effort.
I help business owners, and professionals understand and manage risk and other financial issues. To help them achieve their goals, I use tax efficiencies and design advantages to acquire more efficient income and larger, more liquid estates.
Please be in touch if I can help you. don@moneyfyi.com 705-927-4770
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