As you know, I used the internet while I was away in Italy. The little bar in my hotel had one lone computer, which, although completely in Italian, I could use pretty much freely during my stay there. Every time I tried to type a quotation mark(‘) it would fill in the words ‘itsa’ for me, since it naturally assumed that I was Italian. How fun.
I am watching the TV news, which is now covering a story about how they are attempting to erase Christmas from the holiday season. Banana Republic is now hanging signs that read “Merry Winter.” I’ll go shop at “Winter Republic” it’s probably cheaper and better although, at least, Banana Republic admits to being “bananas” right in their name.
Assumptions are dangereous things to make. You start out safely, assuming one thing or another and then, before you know it, you’ve passed the point of no return. You’ve “gone there” and can’t find your way back-you’ve assumed something that isn’t true-and it’s increasingly difficult to convince you otherwise.
In the times of Galileo, people just naturally assumed that the world was flat. When somebody came along to question it, everybody thought that HE was nuts. In hindsight, I’m sure they’d all feel really stupid jumping to such conclusions but, just as they claim that the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, you could say that the path to stupidity is paved with incorrect assumptions.
Never assume anything, always question. It’s a motto to live by really.
Until next time…
