Without Context, Meaning Can Fade Without context, our world loses much of its meaning. There are shades of nuance that exist throughout the vibrational spectrum, that lend added definition, and some may say dignity, to life. In the absence of these sprinklings of understanding, we lose empathy; hardened to only to the extremes of what we see and hear. Before we react to words, in anger, frustration, or even haste, let us stop to consider that there may be more to the picture. When something is bothering us and a caring person takes the time to stop to ask how we are, do we say how we really feel? “I’m fine,” is the standard response to an often-un-standard inquiry. Deep down, we know the other person must have noticed something to make them ask in the first place.   Recent Examples of Context Clues Take, for example, the recent exhibit of Kathy Griffin and the image of her holding a “piñata” shaped like the severed head of President Donald Trump. This firestorm of incendiary controversy fueled social media for days. It enraged folks that such a prominent comedienne would “do such a thing.” “What about the President’s son?” Yet, we might quickly forget that these images do not come about of their own accord. We see a well-constructed, highly colorful image designed to inflame. We overlook seeing effigies of President Obama strung from a tree, as if lynched. Surely, the young Obama daughters saw those images more than once while growing up in the White House. If not, kudos to the parents for keeping them insulated; my family saw them. It is not all that easy to stand in front of a crowd and tell a joke, let alone one that makes an impact. Today’s comedians work in a realm...

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