There’s some interesting news afoot I haven’t been able to tackle today, having spent it finishing the DVD authoring on a project I initiated in September (my test burn is being prepped right this second – cross your fingers for me). I expect to develop it tomorrow, however, although I will be embarking, in theory, on a new experience tomorrow at 8 am – jury duty!

As I examined my papers I realized I hadn’t read them closely and that I was actually required to send a part of them back promptly upon receipt, which I did not do. This makes me uneasy, as not carefully reading missives from the court system can easily result in an unwanted familiarity with the inside of a jail cell.

I can’t imagine that a responsible prosecutor would ever let me sit on a jury, though, so I don’t expect to be there long. Mind you, I think it would be interesting and I certainly don’t regard the opportunity as a hassle or interruption of other, more important things – I simply doubt that my beliefs make me welcome in a courtroom.

I thought about going out of my way to become even more unwelcome, but have deferred the research. Maybe later. My goal is not to be dismissed, it’s to be honest and participate responsibly. I’m quite sure my definition of responsibility is idiosyncratic, however.

I think the nub of the matter for me is my skepticism concerning how seriously I should take the idea of testimony under oath – I just can’t imagine that it matters, at all, and it seems likely to me that every person one might observe giving testimony is whole heartedly lying in order to meet their own personal or professional goals. The idea applies equally to evidence, frankly; and so I’m left with an enjoyable pickle of epistemology: how can we find the truth? Is there such a thing?

If I’m not dismissed I look forward to thinking about these things seriously again, and since statistically it’s most likely that I’ll get assigned to some minor and relatively fast-moving event, I don’t expect to resolve the challenges. But I welcome the opportunity to consider these questions.