This morning while I was working out I watched the film The Last Samurai which I've seen several times before. This time, however, I was listening to it differently---how the movie reflected today's voice, cultural values, "healthy relationships", and what we would refer to as inner reflection. It wasn't based on the norms, customs, and traditions of the time period it was portraying. It never occurred to me to look at a film or a book, for that matter, like this.
What changed? Listening to Chris Largent talk about his latest book Tapestry. He told the audience that it took him years to get the Voice of his characters that lived in the 11th century and how they wouldn't have been emotionally self reflective nor thought about or interpreted events the way we do now.
This led me to thinking about how we view our past with our present and the judgments we make about past (in)actions. We use a voice that isn't the one that was in existence when we made those choices or decisions.
And it is unfair to us when we do, as we didn't know what we know now. We didn't have the knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and experience we do at this moment.
To judge yourselves from the present is like portraying characters from the past, if they had the technology we have now such as cell phones, the Internet, and cars. It doesn't make sense, does it?
So why would judging yourselves like this make any sense?
It doesn't! I suggest when you reflect on your past that you keep this in mind---you weren't who you are now.
This changes things doesn't it?
Beth
What changed? Listening to Chris Largent talk about his latest book Tapestry. He told the audience that it took him years to get the Voice of his characters that lived in the 11th century and how they wouldn't have been emotionally self reflective nor thought about or interpreted events the way we do now.
This led me to thinking about how we view our past with our present and the judgments we make about past (in)actions. We use a voice that isn't the one that was in existence when we made those choices or decisions.
And it is unfair to us when we do, as we didn't know what we know now. We didn't have the knowledge, understanding, wisdom, and experience we do at this moment.
To judge yourselves from the present is like portraying characters from the past, if they had the technology we have now such as cell phones, the Internet, and cars. It doesn't make sense, does it?
So why would judging yourselves like this make any sense?
It doesn't! I suggest when you reflect on your past that you keep this in mind---you weren't who you are now.
This changes things doesn't it?
Beth
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