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11/17/2005: "Do we know that what we see or hear is real?"
Having felt obliged to delete a posting yesterday, I've been feeling a bit subdued by information in general. I was sent an email about a man flying from Seattle to San Fransisco which because we had recent complications on the flight front (SO missing a flight from Cardiff last night due to roadworks and only being able to fly to Prestwick - but having left his car at Edinburgh airport it caused a few logistical problems, not to mention a protracted journey), I thought I'd share it with you...
A man was flying from Seattle to San Francisco. Unexpectedly, the plane stopped in Sacramento along the way.
The flight attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft, the plane would re-board in 50 minutes.
Everybody got off the plane except one gentleman who was blind. The man had noticed him as he walked by and could tell the gentleman was blind because his seeing eye dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of him throughout the entire flight.
He could also tell he had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached him, and calling him by name, said, "Keith, we're in Sacramento for almost an hour.
Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?" The blind man replied, "No thanks, but maybe my dog would like to stretch his legs."
Picture this: All the people in the gate area came to a complete standstill when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with a seeing eye dog! The pilot was even wearing sunglasses. People scattered! They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines!
True story... Have a great day and remember...
Things aren't always as they appear!
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Having read that I thought how true it is in general if not in reality. How do we really know that the things we read, hear or see are true? In short we can't and don't. We can only hope that we are able to see the whole picture but most people are aware that we don't. In all areas, politics, news, life.
Anyway, it's left me feeling a little philosophical and in a self-obsessed sort of way, I wonder what people who read blogs thing about their authors? How do we know who they are or what their opinions really are? They are blogs after all and not everything you read is totally factual. You can't see into the real person. In real life, I wonder how people perceive others. How can we understand the people we only see some of the time either in a work environment, or a class or supermarket or those we read on blogs. How can we understand what makes others tick. We can try but in the end we're all individuals who have our own thoughts and opinions. Should we share those with others? Are our thoughts informative. What does the same information mean to different people. There will be a few discussions on our information society at the WSIS. Maybe they will come up with a few guidelines. Who knows 
P.S:
SO missed his flight because the gates closed literally one minute before he got there. Later, as he wandered around the airport looking for a coffee he heard the boarding call for his flight - which means that when he arrived the passengers of the flight he should have been on were still waiting in the departure lounge. I keep wondering, how difficult would it have been for the girl on the desk to have checked that and then let him through?
