HEARSAY
Hearsay is an out of court statement used in court to prove the truth of the matter asserted. I am not going to bore you with a legal, professor like, discussion about hearsay. But, hearsay is someone's opinion or statement delivered without the actual speaker of the statement being present. This is why in general hearsay is not allowed in court. But, there are many exceptions to the hearsay rule. Being an attorney for approximately 25 years I am knowledgeable on the hearsay rule and all the exceptions. However, I started my article giving the reader a brief synopsis about hearsay, not to make the reader a legal expert but, to explain to you how I see hearsay and the comparisons in everyday interactions. Especially, in today's world with technology being such an integral part of our everyday life. Most individuals place a large amount of energy on what others think about them. This is almost expected in society because we all want to be accepted. Directly or indirectly being accepted is important to the super majority of individuals.
Most individuals want to be accepted by their peers, their children, their spouses, their colleagues, their neighbors, their families etc... I'm sure I missed a group here or there but you get the point. I bet that most individuals think about this acceptance phenomenon on a daily bases. Whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, this desire for acceptance is very strong. It is akin to the aforementioned hearsay introduction but in reverse. You see in court there are rules, with some exceptions, preventing others from forming an opinion of you or making a statement about you without you being able to confront the person to question whether it is true or not. In life, most individuals pay extreme attention to someone's opinion or statement about us. In fact, inherently, most individuals, as I see it, believe in the opinions of others about themselves, to a point that they will change their behavior or their thoughts to fall in conformity with that opinion, whether is is true or not. I understand we live in a world with others. And, there are customs and values that are well established and accepted as norms. However, next time you are thinking about why acceptance is so important or why things are the way they are, ask yourself a question. That is, can the majority of people be wrong about, you can fill in the blank? My articles are not intended to make you a radical. But instead, I enjoy sharing my ideas to give you something to think about. To expand your thinking. I leave you with a quote on point by Henry David Thoreau, "Think for yourself, or others will think for you without thinking of you."
Just a thought.
Most individuals want to be accepted by their peers, their children, their spouses, their colleagues, their neighbors, their families etc... I'm sure I missed a group here or there but you get the point. I bet that most individuals think about this acceptance phenomenon on a daily bases. Whether we choose to acknowledge it or not, this desire for acceptance is very strong. It is akin to the aforementioned hearsay introduction but in reverse. You see in court there are rules, with some exceptions, preventing others from forming an opinion of you or making a statement about you without you being able to confront the person to question whether it is true or not. In life, most individuals pay extreme attention to someone's opinion or statement about us. In fact, inherently, most individuals, as I see it, believe in the opinions of others about themselves, to a point that they will change their behavior or their thoughts to fall in conformity with that opinion, whether is is true or not. I understand we live in a world with others. And, there are customs and values that are well established and accepted as norms. However, next time you are thinking about why acceptance is so important or why things are the way they are, ask yourself a question. That is, can the majority of people be wrong about, you can fill in the blank? My articles are not intended to make you a radical. But instead, I enjoy sharing my ideas to give you something to think about. To expand your thinking. I leave you with a quote on point by Henry David Thoreau, "Think for yourself, or others will think for you without thinking of you."
Just a thought.