Interpretation

I saw the new James Bond movie tonight on a 6 story high IMAX screen.  It was incredible and worth the price tag -- though I got the tickets at a discount.  If you haven't seen it and don't want me to ruin the plot......  don't read further.

About half way through the movie, when the bad guy is revealed to be a former 007 agent, my mind started spinning.  See if you can follow me here.....

After my game of pretend yesterday, I have been obsessed with the idea of interpretation.  One of my credos is "numbers never lie."  But I know they do.  Statistics are some of the most manipulative numbers around. Throw in some clever graphics and you can use the same set of stats to tell two contradicting stories. 

I've thought a lot recently about how two children can grow up in the exact same situation and live through the exact same experiences and come out with two totally different interpretations. 

Musical interpretation is something I harp on with my piano students weekly.  Want to hear the most accurate, perfect pitch music possible, turn on a recording, don't go to a live concert. (Taylor Swift is the perfect example of that.) Yet, concerts sell out consistently.  The spontaneous interpretation and emotional connection made with live music keep us returning over and over again.  It's not perfection we seek, but connection.

We see this scenario play out in films and TV all the time.  Two characters who have had similar experiences in life end up on opposing sides.  It happened in Harry Potter with Harry and Voldemort, in Burn Notice, one of my favorite TV shows, between Michael and Larry, and it happened again tonight between Bond and Silva.  I watched with great interest, as Silva tried to get into Bond's head and re-interpret his experiences for him, casting blame on M for things gone wrong.  I think the film does a good job of showing the wheels work in Bond's head for a few moments as he tries to sort it out and cling to his form of reality.  I watch a lot of spy type shows. This idea of re-interpretation is also fascinating to me.

What made the difference for these characters? 

Why do people choose one interpretation over the other? 

How much of my personal reality is true and how much of it is interpretation?

How much of my interpretation do I let define my reality?

How do I know which of my interpretations are correct?

Have I been allowing my interpretation to hold me hostage and separate me from reality?

The answers to these questions both scare and excite me.