Content and Process

Some time ago, I came to a conclusion that pretty much all human activity — from the art of poetry to politics, from love to hate, from public speaking to private communication — can be best analyzed through an examination of two factors: content (what is being conveyed) and process (how it is conveyed). 

Good content can be sabotaged by bad process; good process can disguise bad content; people sometimes argue at cross purposes because they’re focused on different aspects, etc.  I won’t belabor the pursuant points.

What I’ve realized recently is that at my age, I want someone to surprise me more with either variable than they usually do, and it’s getting harder and harder to do that.  I expect fewer surprises from content, because it’s hard to come up with new content in life.  I wish I saw more surprises from process. 

No particular trigger for all this; just thinking about a lot of things.