Kidscorner

Wednesday, 26 October 2016

Objectivity

A poem with the prompt 'objectivity' written for Poets United

Look at all sides


The Puzzle of Objectivity

Is my opinion dressed in memory’s clothes,
stitched from moments only I have known?
Tailored by time to fit just me
then off comes the high hat of certainty.
There’s objectivity still waiting to be found.

But where is it kept?
Is what I read untouched by bias,
or framed by pages I chose myself?
Is truth confined to ink and spine,
or hiding outside the lines?

Objectivity—what a slippery thing.

It’s like spring-cleaning the corners of the mind:
sweeping out judgment,
opening the windows wide
for new winds to wander in.
Clearing out fiction,
keeping the facts.

It’s like rolling a dice
and seeing only one face
but truth hides on every side,
even those out of view.
To be objective is to count them all.

For if my opinion
isn’t married to truth,
it’s just belief
and belief, alone, can bruise.
We may split on a hill
where each calls it “true,”
but your view is yours
and mine is mine too.

29 comments:

  1. Nice allegory the role of the dice

    much love...

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  2. Nicely done And whose facts? As you say, spring cleaning is called for to get to the sides you cannot see.

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  3. I always feel that after spring cleaning that I have lost something quite precious in the process.

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    Replies
    1. haha you just want to hold on to all that old stuff huh

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  4. Now that would be good to do...spring cleaning my brain., if only one could!!

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    1. haha I agree Nearly impossible but you can try

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  5. I really like the rolling the dice comparison. Objectivity is sometimes very
    hard to see & even more difficult to attain!

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  6. Hi Marja - open minds ... it's closing down here - I think I'll cuddle up for a few months, and bring spring cleaning to the fore in March or so?! Still my mind is always open ... lovely poem though: being objective is so necessary - cheers Hilary

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    Replies
    1. Always nice to cuddle up for a while An open mind is a good thing to have

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  7. Your dice rolling sounds dodgy - have played Monopoly against you sometime?

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    Replies
    1. Must be a long time ago Haven't played for a while

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  8. Lovely allegory in this poem :) Kudos

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  9. You open all doors
    to let in fresh findings
    You clean out the fiction
    and stick to the facts

    Very true Marja! In a way objectivity is far easier to defend as there are factors in support

    Hank

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  10. Throwing out all judgments---is it possible? (I find it so, so hard!)

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    Replies
    1. It is indeed very hard but as with everything we can do only so much

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  11. Really enjoyed this Marja, especially your dice analogy, and the part about the side you cannot see! Brilliant!

    Poppy

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  12. Interesting poem. Sticking to the facts. Facts are biased sometimes. As long as one keeps analysing...that is the important thing. 'An unexamined life is not worth living.' Socrates

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    1. I agree that one has to keep analysing. You need some information and facts are things that are known and proved to be true so you can't easily get wrong with that

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  13. I liked the sartorial allusions in the first verse and it was good how you continued with the exposition and allegory. Nice one!

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  14. REally good poem, Marja. Plus I love the photos of the alpacas and the info about them as well as the info about Mexican Day of the Dead and those haikus. You have a really interesting and informative blog1 Thanks for the show and tell.

    Love,
    Elizabeth

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  15. Wonderful Marja.. I went a walk this morning and spring cleaned my brain.. :-) Hugs your way xx Sue

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Thank you!!