I need one minute of your time. Consider the image above. It was given as an example in my communication class of how “Perception Precedes Understanding”, a concept I’m familiar with.
So, the professor starts going around the room asking people what they see in the picture. As to what other people think about it, well … I’m third generation don’t give a fuck. However, as I’ve learned is the key to getting A’s in college: You just have to sit there and put up with others’ stupidity. If you can do that, you absolutely cannot fail.
About two or three people in to the interrogation, this girl says, “I see Jesus”. For better or for worse, my first thought was “Jesus fuck (As a swear word). Jesus?! (As a name) I can’t escape these people”. Then, a couple people later, Jesus again. There were three answers for Mr. Christ before the teacher asked me.
When he said, “Mr. Ziering, What do you see?” I clutched my heart like I was having a heart attack and I gasped, “I think I see the mother virgin Mary!!” Essentially, calling into question the legitimacy of the claim that people saw Jesus. Mocking isn’t neccesarily the word I would use, because if I was, I would have said, I see Jesus … staring deeply into another man’s eyes … and I think he’s wearing a wedding dress.
Anyhow, we finish going around the room and a few more people concur with the Christ concept. At which point the teacher asks, “Do you guys want to know what it is?”
“It’s an artists rendition of Jesus.”
In disbelief, I asked, “So wait, it actually was Jesus?!”. He nodded and said, “Yes, it was Jesus” with what I thought to be a slight inflection on the word “was”. Perhaps this inflection was meant to replace the “you fuck-stick” I’m sure he tacked on to the end of his sentence in his head.
Because I rarely reference song lyrics, I have to quote a Brand New song that came to mind, “Jesus Christ” –
“Well, Jesus Christ, I’m alone again
So what did you do those three days you were dead?
Because this problem’s gonna last
More than the weekend“