Opus 2025-455: Favorite Recess Activities

I find myself spending more time watching presentations from YouTube.  Part of that is because as I get older, I get more tired and at times find it hard to concentrate on my own research and reading.  I’m experimenting with the idea of filling these recess moments with someone else’s thinking.  Sometimes it works; sometimes not so much.

I find that most of the videos I end up finishing have to do with theological debates.  That’s a general category for a lot of different specialties.  I wondered about that.  Why am I willing to listen to two people discuss dispensationalism and not the economy?  I don’t know a whole lot about dispensationalism, but I don’t know a lot about the economy either.  I think the difference is that when it comes to a theological issue I at least have done the groundwork and know the basics of what is being talked about.  It’s easier for me to discern deception or just simply misinterpretation.  It doesn’t take long when two people are discussing things to find out which one is really seeking truth, and which one is advocating their particular position.

Also, when you have a background in dealing with truth and lies, with deflecting questions and answering questions, with evil and righteousness, you begin to be able to sense certain things.  Some people refuse to answer simple questions.  I realize often a simple yes/no is not deep enough.  But when somebody simply asked you a question to find out something simple and you go on and on talking around the barn because you don’t want to go in the door, it’s pretty obvious that you are dissimulating.

So I guess one reason I listened to them is because I am better equipped, especially when my mind is tired, to discern truth.  Most of our media presentations and discussions tend to be seeing who can pull the most wool over the listener’s eyes.  That gets old very quickly.  I prefer a platform in which I at least have some hope of discernment.  You don’t find that on just any bit of click bait.

And of course, there are those times when it’s so boring it might help me go to sleep.

homo unius libri