loch ness – benandsteve.com

September 26, 2026

Some people need a cup of coffee to wake up. Others need a Loch Ness Monster.

Two people in a boat above a giant river creature — ^{_{Changing perspectives…}}

I heard a joke about a man who set out across Loch Ness to prove there was no monster. He was an atheist, too, and quite sure he knew what he would find: a lake, some water, and a good story somebody had made up.

Then his boat reached the middle of the lake. The sky darkened. The shoreline disappeared. And out of the water rose a creature towering over his boat.

“God, help me!” the man cried.

A voice came down from above. “That’s interesting. Five minutes ago, you didn’t believe in me.”

The man looked up and shouted, “Five minutes ago, I didn’t believe in the Loch Ness Monster, either!”

I have to give him that one. If a monster rose beside my boat, I would reconsider several things at once. I might even develop a sudden appreciation for life jackets, fast motors, and staying home.

Changing your mind when the facts change makes sense. But I have watched people change their views without a monster, a fact, or even a decent explanation in sight. An idea is terrible at breakfast, then brilliant by lunch because someone they admire said it out loud. The evidence hasn’t changed. The company has.

I suppose we have all done a little of that. Before the first cup of coffee, I can be certain I don’t need a second. Five minutes later, the pot starts looking mighty persuasive.

So today, if someone’s opinion changes in an instant, I may ask myself what appeared: new evidence, a new audience, or a creature rising out of the lake?

If it’s the creature, I’m changing my mind, too. And I’m taking my coffee to go.