Three Fallacies

My senior year in High School I had a history teacher who was a former Marine (stereotypical I know). He quickly became one of the few teachers who I truly admired. I admired him for many different reasons.

The first reason is he had good taste in music. My favorite era of music is the 50's and 60's, which he would play frequently throughout the school year. The music would be played when taking a test, or working on some project whether it be in groups or as individuals.

The second reason is he challenged me in class, and encouraged students to think outside of what was being taught. Debate was encouraged in his class. People were expected to listen to differing opinions, even sensitive ones, with respect.

Lastly, he was just a cool guy. He always came in well dressed. He had awesome handwriting. He had a presence about him which you couldn't, or at least I couldn't, help but admire. Everyday he was ready for success. Best part is he had reached that success level. The other teachers respected and listened to his opinions. The school he taught at was a small one. A lot of teachers had some negative reputations, but not him.

On the second to last day of my senior year he approached me. He requested I come to the office and sit down and talk to him. Being a little nervous about the situation I followed him into the office. When we were inside he closed the door. Once the door closed he gave me two gifts.

The gift was physical in nature. It was a leather binder/planner. He suggested it might come in handy with life. The binder could be used as a tool to organize and carry important documents. Which is exactly how the binder has been used and I still have it to this day.

The second gift would be in wisdom. He told me there were three fallacies in life. Things people tended to believe, or be caught in, but these things aren't a true way to live and can prevent a person from achieving their goals. The fallacies were something to consider whenever possible to avoid falling into life's pitfalls. The three fallacies are: the fallacy of the cave, fallacy of the village, and the fallacy of age.

FALLACY OF THE CAVE

A few years ago I took a classics course as an elective while pursing my bachelor's degree. One of the assigned readings was Plato's republic. If you have never read it, I recommend that you do. It was during that class I learned about Plato's cave which, surprise surprise, is the philosophy guiding this fallacy.

In his cave analogy, Plato describes to the reader a story about a group of people who are held prisoner inside a cave. They are forced to look at only the wall of the cave and nothing else. The only thing that makes up their reality is the shadows on the wall and whatever else they are able to witness.

However, Plato outlines throughout the rest of the story that the reality the prisoners are living is not the true reality. There is more outside of the cave, and there is more to the shadows as those shadows are the outlines of living individuals. Again, read it if you haven't. Or get the SparkNotes version (sheesh I feel old saying that).

But how does this pertain to my old teachers analogy? Well basically they are one in the same. My life, my home, isn't everything in the entire world. My reality is not everyone's. There are different lives and different perspectives out there. My reality isn't the one true reality.

For example, with my life I was raised by a single mother. For someone else their reality and experiences are totally different if they have two parents who have a health marriage. That person's view on marriage might be totally different than mine because we have two different examples. Best part is neither of our realities are wrong, but it can have an effect on how we shape our realities as we get older.

Even if another person was also raised by single mother. Their reality can be different than mine. I was a probation and parole officer for awhile and it isn't uncommon to hear about a single mother smoking meth or snorting cocaine in front of their children. Thankfully, I never witnessed such a scene as my mom didn't do illicit drugs, but I can bet witnessing that can give a different view on what life is to someone.

So with everyone having a different cave experience, don't be quick to dismiss an individuals experience and thoughts. Unless you know that person on an intimate level, and possibly even then, your reality will likely be different from theirs. Their truth may not be your truth.

FALLACY OF THE VILLAGE

This fallacy isn't all that different from the fallacy of the cave. This fallacy is just plays on a broader scale. To be honest, this fallacy took me a couple of years to really comprehend.

For this fallacy you can replace the term village with town, city, neighborhood, street, etc. The "village" is whatever you refer to as your home community. Not just your house, or your bedroom, but who you consider your peeps, or your people.

The idea is that there is more to the world than what is inside your "village." What your village experiences, doesn't explain the entire world. Just like the cave example, what we see isn't all there is.

There can be so many comparisons to this one. That being said, I think a good example can be found in a recent set of events. Last year an incident occurred when George Floyd was killed by a police order. Hang in there with me as I am not arguing right or wrong but making an example of the aftermath. As a result of that incident mass rioting took place in several cities. Buildings were burned down and people were attacked. The news showed the world in chaos.

My reality was far different. I was about as far away from George Floyd as possible. I live in Wyoming and we didn't experience the same things. Even thought I am a black male, it just wasn't the same for me. I don't live in the same world as the people who experienced that chaos did. To a large degree I am thankful for that.

Does that take away from either mine or others reality? No, but what they know, and what I know of the world are two different things. So when people bring emotions to the argument of George Floyd, and they talk about their communities being burned, I listen. For them it is real, and that is worth listening too.

FALLACY OF AGE

The last fallacy. This fallacy is also my favorite one. My teacher described this fallacy to me very simply. Just because a person is older, doesn't mean they know more. A young person in all their youth can teach the old.

The moment my teacher stated those few sentences I felt empowered. A man of his experience was telling me that just because I was younger, doesn't mean I didn't have something to offer the world. That my elders didn't necessarily have all of the answers.

Now don't get this one confused, this fallacy doesn't mean disrespect your elders. The fallacy isn't an excuse to stop listening to those who have more life experience. I try to live by this example all the time with both work and at home. Yet, I still revere, and respect those who have lived decades longer than me.

For example there are two old men who I have met in this life who I deeply respect. They are not the only two, but they are the first to come to mind. One is alive and the other sadly passed some years back.

The one who is no longer walking on this earth accomplished so much in his life. He worked a ranch and raised three kids. When he passed away his obituary was like reading a mini documentary. He helped the community he was a part of accomplish so much. He held rodeos, was a part of committees, furthered the knowledge on ranching in the area. On top of that he believed that neighbors helped each other.

One of the things I constantly loved about him is the stories he would tell. He told stories about the early homesteads of Wyoming and the old county lines. How people got their starts claiming pieces of land. Things that would usually bore me if I were to watch them on tv. But somehow he made these things sound fascinating in ways I cannot describe. He was a guy that when he talked, I would shut up and listen.

For the old man who is still living, he is a Korean veteran. The man is 90 plus years old and just celebrated his 70th wedding anniversary. He volunteers his time teaching other veterans how to fish and make flies. He also used to be a teacher at the University. With that much knowledge and success, I would shut up and listen.

However, the world has changed a bit since both were younger. Values have changed, as well as technology and all sorts of other things. As a person who has been raised in today's world and a part of it, that is where what I have to offer comes in as a difference in age. That is where the teaching goes both ways. The older generations life lessons merged with new age curiosity and challenges.

In my life I constantly encourage my eldest to speak, as the other one is still too young, if he ever feels like I am in the wrong. I encourage him to defend himself with logic and reason. Just because I am older, and the parent, doesn't mean I am always right.

The three fallacies. One of the many different things that guide my moral compass and my day to day decisions. It is a philosophy built on this overall idea that basically everyone everywhere has something to offer.

Now this covers most people. Anyone who has taken statistics knows there are outliers to every statement. But from what I have experienced, this fallacies hold true with 99.99 percent of all situations and people. I believe my thinking this way is part of the reason for the successes I have had so far, and the reason why I have made the relationships I have. Hopefully it works for you as well.

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