Extremes

Perception is an interesting thing. There is so much going on in life that our brains tend to block out the "norm" and pay attention only to "the extreme". Here, let me illustrate. I hold up a large white sheet with a tiny black ink spot on it and ask you, "What do you see?" You will likely answer, "An ink spot", not because that's what you see, but because your attention, despite all that is placed before you, is drawn to the ... extreme.

The news media thrives on this concept. The millions of people who go through the day without being shot, getting in an accident, committing a crime, or whatever else you might hear on the evening news are not news. No, it is only the outliers, the exceptions, the extremes. But it's not the media's fault. We live this way. If you are walking down the street with noise and motion and bustle all about and someone shouts above the din, your attention will be turned there ... because it is extreme. Given a lovely green hillside with a few trees and flitting clouds, your attention will immediately be drawn to the motion of a rabbit hopping across the terrain ... because it is extreme. Or consider modes of dress. Walking in a sea of people, there are really only two types that will likely catch your eye -- either the extremely well-dressed or the extremely shabbily-dressed person. The host of "in-betweens" will elude your attention entirely.

Life is like that, and, for the most part, it has to be. There's simply too much going on. Our brains are designed to catch changes, not sameness. I'm sure you've experienced this, for instance. You notice a new smell in the room. It is quite apparent, whether pleasant or unpleasant. After a short time, the smell seems to go away. Then you leave the room and come back and ... there's that smell again! It's your brain first noticing the new smell then blocking it because it has become "same" and then, when reentering the room, noticing it again because it is "new". It's the way we are designed. Life is like that.

The problem occurs with the "in-betweens". We notice extremes. We generally miss "in-betweens". We are quite aware of the outspoken atheist and the outspoken Christian, for instance. These are extremes. We largely miss the middle of these two. In fact -- and here is the problem that concerns me -- it is this middle section that is the most difficult with which to deal. Someone who is firmly in favor of Christianity is a good thing. Someone who is absolutely opposed to Christianity is someone we can engage because of their stance. But someone who is neither for nor against is someone with whom we have little to do. We can't counter their non-position. We can't argue their non-arguments. We can't warm their apathy. Worse, it is very likely that we'll miss them entirely because ... life's like that.

Extremes are easy. We know the foes and allies in our views and we can address them. But a larger portion is not expressing itself and is going outside of our detection zones. They are invisible. Unfortunately, they are just as needy as the extremes, but in perhaps greater peril because no one notices them. I know far more people in this group than I know of any extreme views. So how do I find, remain aware of, and address this group? This one is tougher.