2016 Summer July 31 Sunday

79 degrees this morning, walk 35:48 minutes 

Yesterday I wrote about how Friday morning it started raining right before I started riding my bike.  Yesterday (Saturday) the exact same thing happened, except it never really rained, just sprinkled. 

It was enough of a rain I realized I wasn’t going to ride my bike and then my “weather app” indicated a lightning and thunder storm was coming in .  

It never arrived at our place (it was about 10 miles away and went south instead of east), but it was enough I couldn’t ride my bike again.  

Rain or bad weather or whatever, a one day break from riding my bike or walking etc. is kind of a gift.  Two days I think are to many!  

I may have to consider walking this winter at an inside facility, much as I hate to think of it.  I don’t know if I want to continue to deal with the cold, although when I think about it, as long as I dress for it it really isn’t that bad.  

The  bicycle is a little different since the cold bites a lot more since I am going faster, but I”m sure I can figure out a way to dress for the cold.

Listening to my book this morning, I was surprised to hear the concept that you should  think before your read, since “if you read you are reading someone else’s plan and letting them think for you”.  

I wasn’t exactly sure what they meant by “think before you read”.   I gave it some thought and still am not sure what they meant, unless they meant that I should think about the subject and develop some thoughts on a subject before I read about it.

Actually, I always though reading was a way of developing your own thoughts, not a way of letting someone else think for you.  

After he said that, he seemed to contradict himself by saying that this was true only when reading “commentary” and not the actual thoughts.  It may make sense.

Of course, this was from a book written almost 100 years ago by philosophers who lived and wrote hundreds of years ago, when there was probably very few books.

Certainly, they may have imagined it, but they could never have really realized the “over information” we now  have where, if I remember correctly, more information is provided in the last 12 months than in human history or statistics that 90% of the worlds data was created in the last 12 months etc.

There area all kind of statistics, but obviously a lot more books (in all forms, including internet postings)  are published now that hundreds of years ago.  

Of course, if you read, see or listen to  anything without thinking about it, you are “letting someone else think for you”.  I think everyone knows that it is important not to accept anything at face value or believe anything without questioning it. 

In today’s world, with so much being published I think the danger is reading only what supports your preconceived thoughts and beliefs and not listening or reading ideas that may challenge the ideas you have.  

I think one problem in todays world is that so many people now have  extreme views, it is much more difficult to get  thoughtful opinion or analysis of a situation without there being so many  extremes you really can’t believe anything you read since they are trying to make their point, not analyze a situation.  

That’s it for now, Sunday, July 31, 2016.