The big print gets your attention.
The little print tells you what you are really getting into.
Maybe that is why the devil likes the details so much.
If you were the devil…
would your first choice be to hide in the details?
Think about it.
If your intention was to deceive, confuse, distract or quietly protect yourself from what might happen later…
the DETAILS would be a pretty comfortable hiding place.
We see them everywhere.
Contracts.
Commercials.
Medication labels.
Product instructions.
Warranty agreements.
Financial offers.
Insurance policies.
Websites.
Buy something today and somewhere nearby you may find a warning, qualification, exclusion, condition or disclaimer.
Usually in much smaller print than the part that convinced you to buy it.
PRODUCT COMES WITH A WARNING…IN SMALL PRINT
Almost everything we purchase comes with instructions and warnings.
Use only as intended.
Keep away from children.
Do not swallow.
Do not expose to flame.
Do not insert here.
Do not place there.
Avoid contact with eyes.
Consult instructions before use.
Why?
Partly because products can create risks when they are misused, and manufacturers have legal and safety reasons to warn consumers about foreseeable hazards.
Some warnings also develop because accidents, complaints, regulation and litigation reveal ways products can cause harm.
The details begin accumulating.
And accumulating.
Until sometimes the warning appears longer than the instructions.
LOL.
LAWSUITS
Companies do not enjoy paying judgments, settlements, recalls or legal expenses.
So when experience reveals a possible hazard…
the lawyers arrive.
The engineers arrive.
The regulators may arrive.
And eventually…
the LABEL arrives.
WARNING:
DO NOT DO THE THING SOMEBODY APPARENTLY ALREADY DID.
PAUSE FOR CAUSE.
Some warnings sound ridiculous until you remember something:
There may be a story behind that warning.
LISTEN TO THE END OF THE PITCH
Commercials are another interesting example.
The first part sounds wonderful.
SAVE!
WIN!
IMPROVE!
GET MORE!
ACT NOW!
Then…
right at the end…
the voice changes.
Suddenly somebody who sounded perfectly normal develops the speaking speed of an auctioneer being chased downhill.
Conditionsapplyrestrictionsmayapplyofferexpiresseetermsfordetails…
WHAT?
LOL.
The disclosure may technically contain important information.
But the contrast is fascinating.
The attraction is presented slowly and clearly.
The qualifications sometimes arrive like they are trying to catch the last bus.
That is precisely when you should listen.
The end of the pitch may contain information more important than the beginning.
TAKE Q-TIPS…GREAT EXAMPLE
Cotton swabs are a wonderful example of the relationship between products, habits and warnings.
Many people associate them with cleaning ears.
After a shower…
an itch…
or simply because that little cotton tip is sitting there looking so cooperative…
in it goes.
Twirl.
Swirl.
Scrub.
No no no.
Manufacturers commonly warn against inserting cotton swabs into the ear canal because doing so can push earwax deeper or injure the ear.
The safer instruction is generally to use them only around the outer ear.
Now here is the human comedy.
The ear says:
COME ON IN.
The warning says:
STAY OUT.
And the human being stands between the two holding the swab.
SHOULD I OR SHOULDN’T I?
This is where people and details collide.
We read the warning.
We understand the warning.
Then sometimes we do exactly what the warning told us not to do.
That is not necessarily a failure of disclosure.
That is human behavior.
People often believe:
“I know what I am doing.”
“I have always done it this way.”
“Nothing happened last time.”
“It will only take a second.”
And most of the time…
nothing dramatic happens.
Which reinforces the behavior.
Until perhaps one day it does.
PEOPLE DON’T DO DETAILS VERY WELL
This may be the larger lesson.
People do not always do DETAILS very well.
We like headlines.
Summaries.
Big letters.
Pictures.
Quick explanations.
We want:
YES or NO.
SAFE or DANGEROUS.
GOOD or BAD.
But life often lives in the qualifications.
Children especially require protection because curiosity comes before judgment.
They pull.
Push.
Taste.
Open.
Climb.
Insert.
Take apart.
That is why responsible adults cannot simply rely on a warning label and walk away.
Details require attention.
PEOPLE WILL USE THINGS IN WAYS NEVER IMAGINED
Manufacturers face another problem.
Human creativity.
Give someone a product designed for ONE purpose…
and eventually somebody will discover seven completely different uses for it.
Some clever.
Some harmless.
Some questionable.
Some ending with:
“Do not attempt this.”
That is why responsible instructions matter.
But personal responsibility matters too.
A label cannot supervise you.
A warning cannot reach out and grab your hand.
At some point…
YOU are operating the equipment.
YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN…SORT OF
Look around.
Gasoline.
Household chemicals.
Plastic bags.
Storage containers.
Electrical appliances.
Tools.
Cars.
Cosmetics.
Food packaging.
Almost everything carries instructions or warnings.
Those warnings do not mean the product is automatically dangerous.
They mean circumstances matter.
How is it used?
By whom?
For what purpose?
Under what conditions?
That is where DETAILS become important.
ALLERGY WARNINGS
Food labeling gives us another very important example.
People with food allergies may depend heavily on ingredient and allergen information.
A product can look delicious on the front.
Beautiful photograph.
Wonderful description.
BUY ME.
Then the back may contain information about ingredients or possible allergen exposure that matters enormously to a particular person.
For one customer it is trivia.
For another…
it may be the most important information on the package.
Same product.
Different consequence.
That is why details cannot automatically be dismissed as fine-print nonsense.
Sometimes the detail IS the message.
THE DEVIL AND THE DETAILS
So is the devil really hiding in the details?
Sometimes.
But I think something else is hiding there too.
TRUTH.
CONDITIONS.
RESPONSIBILITY.
RISK.
LIMITATIONS.
CONSEQUENCES.
The problem is that the exciting part usually gets our attention first.
The details ask us to slow down.
Read.
Listen.
Ask questions.
Understand.
And human beings are not always enthusiastic about doing that.
RICHIE SPEAKS
Here is one Richie rule:
The bigger the promise on the front…
the more interested I become in the back.
Another:
Do not complain about the fine print if you refused to read the fine print.
And one more:
Sometimes the devil is not hiding in the details.
Sometimes our IMPATIENCE is hiding from them.
PEARLS FROM THE BOOKS
From the spirit of Pearls for the Soul:
“What appears insignificant may contain the information that changes everything.”
From the spirit of God I AM:
“Discernment often begins where excitement becomes willing to examine.”
From the spirit of It Is Finished:
“Read what is actually there before allowing assumption to write the rest.”
PEARLS INSIGHT
Details matter because important conditions, risks and limitations are often impossible to communicate in a headline.
Good judgment requires more than noticing a warning.
It requires understanding what the warning means and deciding how it applies.
The same principle works beyond products.
Contracts.
Relationships.
Business deals.
Promises.
Instructions.
Listen beyond the headline.
Read beyond the invitation.
The information that changes your decision may be waiting in the next sentence.
PEARLS CONNECTION
This connects directly with THE GUY WHO MAKES ALL THIS MONEY.
The promise may be large.
The important questions are often underneath it.
It also connects with I NEVER SAID THAT…YES YOU DID.
Details help separate what was actually said from what we assumed was said.
And ONE SUBJECT AT A TIME PLEASE reminds us that clarity improves when we slow down enough to examine what is actually in front of us.
FINAL SAY
The devil may indeed enjoy the details.
There is plenty of room to hide there.
But so does the truth.
So read the label.
Listen to the end.
Ask the question.
Check the condition.
Look at the warning.
Understand what you are agreeing to.
And when somebody says:
“Don’t worry about all that little stuff”…
PAUSE FOR CAUSE.
The little stuff may be exactly what you should be worrying about.
The front gets your attention.
The DETAILS tell you what comes next.
Oh…
and you have been warned too.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you