Setting The Record Straight

Some very clever people wrote a very interesting article on perception, comprehension, and fake news. Recognising how easily we are influenced can make us more aware and cautious about the information we consume.

"Humans can transform fake information into fake memories, especially when the fabricated details align with our system of values and political beliefs," from Daily Maverick, 17th November 2019. This illustrates how perception shapes our understanding and can be manipulated, a point crucial for readers to reflect on in their own lives and societal context.

Elections, it seems, are run by targeting unsuspecting citizens who are then influenced by fake news flooding social media platforms. In the olden days, it was called propaganda. Anyway, they reach their targets; elections and referendums are decided by unsuspecting citizens who’ve been duped.

Like the Trump presidency and Brexit, the article’s central point was that our brains remember and store false information. Sharing my experience with misconceptions, such as the story of my ex believing women with ankle tattoos were ladies of the night, can help your audience feel understood and less alone in their own misunderstandings. 

E.g., a boyfriend I once had fervently believed, because his father, a Second World War veteran, had told him that women with tattoos on their ankles were ladies of the night. God forbid any woman wore a chain on that anklet; that was a dead giveaway too. Not even a traditional African beaded anklet was permissible. If any woman’s favourite tipple was a Ginger Square (it was mine), that too was a sign of wildness, totally unbecoming. Wild horses could not change his mind. And I believe he’d still believe that in 2019. What he didn’t believe was the instruction booklet in his motor car or evidence from the traffic department that he’d sped or that his parking meter had expired. His Garmin? Never. As you can imagine, he was kicked into touch.

My least endearing characteristic is that I read selectively, so I don’t always read exactly what has been said. I am not alone in this. Since my blog titled “Changing Lanes”, I have been inundated with calls, messages and conversations with friends and acquaintances who’ve wished us well and said cheerio as we embark on a new chapter in our lives. 

Our “new lives” will only begin in the second quarter of 2020; we’re going nowhere until at least April next year! These changes mark a major transition, and I want you to understand how this shift will affect our connection and shared experiences. Butch will continue working as usual, heading into the office bright and breezy, only now on his e-bike when his knees don't act up and the weather is good! A 40-year-old life in a community does not end abruptly overnight. You’ve got to pop your clogs for that. It takes quite a while to tie up all the loose ends.

So, no. Our home is not available yet. I will still deliver my laundry for ironing on a Tuesday. My G.P. and dentist will see me again in 2020, and I will endeavour to get my heavy-duty licence in Worcester before my learner’s licence expires in 12 months. I shall shop at Woolies in the Mall and spend weekends camping and visiting Onrus. On a Wednesday, I’ll play a hand of cards with the same school, if they’ll still have me. Same old, same old. 

Once we’ve moved to Hermanus, we’ll settle in during the winter of 2020, welcome a grandchild into the world, and then we'll plan our getaway into the wild and wondrous wilderness of Africa and beyond.

Right now, I'm like a brood hen, very excited about our children visiting us for the holidays. We can’t wait to see the family, and we’re gearing up to celebrate a very important birthday. Today we will draw lots for our Secret Santa, and I'm planning a Christmas menu. I am stocking up on baby formula, disposable nappies and Baby Johnson’s products. The tumble dryer is running 24/7, freshening linens and napery for all the celebrations. 

Our Grandbaby is on her way, and we can’t wait to introduce her and her Dad to South Africa. All this excitement is quite enough for now. We’re going to enjoy every moment before we change lanes.

“Happiness is achieved when you stop waiting for your life to begin and start making the most of the moment you are in.”