Posted by Rick Denney on January 20, 2003 at 16:43:59:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Military Band Question posted by Joe Baker on January 20, 2003 at 16:10:42:
Oh, I dunno. I suppose you can learn about life anywhere, if you have open eyes and an open mind. I know folks who have lived in the Real World for decades and still don't know anything about life. I, on the other hand, learned quite a bit about myself in college; a lot of it not pretty. Those lessons either plague me to this day or they encouraged me to change. That is what most people think of when someone says "learning about life."
One of the things that I learned is that a person with a modicum of sensitivity and the willingness to listen and read can transcend their own circumstances and come to an understanding of the lives of other people, even when their own life doesn't resemble it. Humans have this capacity, and we should promote its use.
Declaring that opinions are worthless because the person has not endured specific experiences does not help achieve that transcendence. Describing those experiences in response to even false suppositions does.
I have never served in a military band, but I think I can imagine what it is like based on the detailed descriptions of those who have.
Rick "who thinks there would be no point to books or music without the ability to transcend" Denney