Take What You Want – It’s OK

Really – It’s ok

No, I’m not talking about stealing or shoplifting. I’m talking about filtering out the bias of a piece of work to get to the parts that have meaning for you.

While researching another topic I was reading an article and thought the author had a lot of great points, but I didn’t buy in 100% to each and every thing that was said. This got me thinking about how we as human beings filter information and sometimes accept everything that comes from a source, just because that source has been accurate on another topic. Being on the receiving end of other people’s “agendas” I have developed a pretty good sense of seeing through the bias to the essence.

You may not notice it but every piece of work produced by human beings is biased to varying degrees. It doesn’t matter why these other factors are included, or even if their inclusion is intentional or not, what matters is that the original inspiration shares space with these other factors.

[ad#inline-body]

How’d that get in here?

Let’s say for the moment that a budding author / musician / artist has a really great inspiration – one that is based on the whole of the situation, guided by the best of sources; a pure idea.

Then comes the part where that idea takes on a physical form; words are put to paper, notes are teased from the strings of a violin, the first strokes of pigment color a canvas. This is when reality comes crashing in and other influences join the original concept. Perhaps the idea is just too small to make an impact on its own, it’s too controversial to work in the current marketplace, or the human being behind it all has a deep personal conviction that a certain message needs to be included. It doesn’t matter. In the end, the work that finally results from the inspiration has some extra stuff hanging onto it.

You are free to think and believe what you want

What can you, as the viewer, do? How can you separate the bias from the inspiration? You can use the best filter available – your mind.

Clearly, some people seem to have a difficult time sorting evidence and getting to a “right” conclusion. But individual thought and consideration are the best methods we have. History is littered with examples of individuals blindly following a person or idea without thinking or taking into account how good that path was for them to take. Most of these examples end badly for all involved. People that don’t think independently will just as surely follow a path that isn’t right for them.

Consider, and go forward

So – as you read / listen / watch / feel – any input (even this one;-) – use your own internal guide. If something feels off, or out of place, don’t worry about setting that part aside and continuing. Maybe that is a bit of bias that has crept in. Don’t feel that any source has to have every answer for every situation. Go ahead and take what you want – it’s ok.