Hearing

I am unconcerned with people who justify themselves by saying “This is the right thing to do - therefore I am going to do it.” And I expect that many people agree with me in this, even though in some cases, they do not share the speaker’s understanding of the right thing to do. Who is of concern to many people is the person they perceive as saying “I am going to do this thing - therefore it is the right thing to do.” And part of the problem with today’s political climate (although, to be clear, this is nothing new) is that no matter what has actually been said, one’s allies will hear only the former, one’s critics only the latter, and both will be absolutely convinced of the accuracy of their perceptions, and of the willful deafness of those who heard otherwise.