That’s Interesting…
Are you a news junkie? Do you like to read non-fiction books? Are you a fan of podcasts?
There is a ton of information out there. How do you filter it?
Do you filter it based on the source? “You know those Republicans.” “You know those Democrats.” “Well, that’s the CNN crowd.” “Well, what do you expect from the talking heads on FOX.”
Do you filter it based on what you already think? Lots of the information gathering people do serves to buttress what they have already concluded. My favorite books are those that confirm my opinion.
Do you filter it based on its newness or oldness? Some people think everything old is out of date; they think that by definition new is better than old. Some people think the opposite. They think the old is the place to be.
Here is the ultimate filter to use for information gathering. “Is it true.” Tuck this phrase into your life as you watch the news, read books or listen to podcasts… as well as everything else you hear.
That’s interesting; I wonder if it’s true.
We need to act on the truth, even if we have to think, study or dig for it. Rod Dreher has written a book, Live Not by Lies. He examines what happens when a nation does not stand up against falsehood. Jordan Peterson in his 12 Rules for Life devotes a chapter on the importance of truth and living in it. His eighth rule is “tell the truth or at least don’t lie.” Of course, the heartbeat of Jesus’ ministry was truth. That’s what “amen” means: truly. He identified himself as “the way, the truth and the life.” He said, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
Truth is in limited supply even though it is an amazing renewable resource. Many people think there is no truth and that all words are mere powerplays, that language is more for power than it is for truth. People focus on an individual perspective and call that truth, at least truth for that person. That sentiment is now so ubiquitous it is taken for a truism: perception is reality. People are so set on their position that they will spin, distort, twist and shave things any way they must so that their “truth” wins the day.
The stakes are high right now. We are coming out of a pandemic. (Or are we?) We have a perilous economic situation with inflation and supply chain issues. (Or do we?) We face potential global climate crisis and global war. (What are the true details and dangers?) Children are best raised this way. (Or is it that way?)
We hear lots of talk about lots of interesting things. But truth is where we need to be. Truth serves as the only solid foundation for life, temporal or eternal. People need to be wiser consumers of information.
That’s interesting; I wonder if it’s true.
When you turn on the tube or open your lap top, question everything. This ancient advice should be applied not just to the old but the new. When you read through a book, mark the margins with TIIWIIT. (That’s interesting; I wonder if it’s true.) When you listen to a podcast, use the pause button to stop for reflection. The speaker’s speaking may outstrip listener’s ability to sift properly what is being said.
There is no virtue in becoming cynical and being gullible can be a vice. Skeptical. That’s the sweet spot, today as much as ever.
That’s interesting; I wonder if it’s true.
Be hard on the things you watch, read and hear. Be harder on yourself…
That’s interesting; I wonder if it’s true.
4 thoughts on “That’s Interesting…”
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I do not watch very much “news”. Most of it, in my view, is not at all dispassionate. Rather, it is full of commentary. It therefore fails as news. it does not allow me, the unhindered arbiter of rational thinking capable of making my own commentary, to draw my own conclusions. What “news” I do see is sequestered to my Yahoo posts and those posts are almost exclusively, ‘one offs’. This person experienced this, another that. Rarely are any of those mentioned positionally important enough to warrant their own singular space, yet there they are in graphic color displaying either grief or joy proving whatever point the journalist hopes to make!
I spent inordinate amounts of time and money becoming classically educated. That gives me the required intellectual perspective to look through the muck and indeed ask the critical question, as you mention; is it true?
Therefore I can declare with absolute certainty that Aliens from outer space indeed did visit the Inca and the Egyptians and many others in order to share technology lost to time but evidenced in the structures they built! Forget history, science and hard work!
Bigfoot lives! This we know because many people know others who themselves know others who may have seen or heard one! What more is required!
And about government conspiracies? The very fact that a true conspiracy requires a degree of secrecy but yet, those same touted government conspiracies are so very rampant is proof of itself that they are real! The more of them there are, the more people who believe, does not invalidate the definition of conspiracy but contrarily, is completely demonstrate of their sagacity, their reality! They simply must be true! I feel so much better!
Tim:
Thanks for the response. You speak with… Verity.
Dave
“I wonder if it’s true?”
Good question but that’s only the start,
“I wonder if it’s true?”
Will you just sit there and wonder or will you do your very best to find the answer to that question
“I wonder if it’s true?”
And when you find out if it’s true then what will you do?
That’s good. Take it to the next level!