Powers of Persuasion

I awoke to someone very highly regarded being interviewed and then questioned at the National Press Club.  They are getting on and I could relate to their forgetfulness, but it was very clear to me that they had a good command of his subject.
Seeing the interview though did make me think of something.  I respected their intellect and authority on matters but seeing the way questions were asked I would have thought they were interviewing God.  It seemed that if a person did not see something theit way it was because they were ignorant and ill informed.
It seems to me no-one except God is 100% right all the time.  People display various percentages of it.  Some seem to get it right the majority of the time.  Their authority is based on their track record.
The next program was Media Watch and although I turned it off it was not before they used a word I thought was totally appropriate.  They were referring to a newspaper article and said “speculation.”  I was reminded that the way a person has acted in the past, may inform me about their predicted future actions, but it does not guarantee their future actions.
No one expected Myanmar to open up the way it did.  When it did, all looked rosy. Then it closed up again.  Previous actions did not guarantee future actions.
I am reading a book at the moment that has been totally blowing me away.  It has reached a section I am having trouble getting my head around.  I may need to contemplate what is being said more, but right now to me it is closer to the premise being incorrect.
It is one of the reasons I am not a one book man (except when it comes to the manual of life).  I am not one to espouse the rightness of one book.  If I get the same information from several different sources, I am more likely to consider what is being contended carefully.
It reminds me of the old saying “one swallow does not a summer make.”  To me, “one book does not a working philosophy for me does not make.”  Hitler had a working philosophy but if his was the only one I would say “not for me.”  I’d wait for more sparrows.
My thinking is that no matter the political persuasion of a president or prime minister they are never all right or all wrong.  In Australia it seems to me both parties have done good and bad.
No matter who says it, I will always be respectful, but I will not believe everything I hear.  I will always use my powers of choice to determine what rings true or not.