“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” Jonathon Swift (1667 – 1745), Mark Twain (1835 – 1910), Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965)
It so often seems very hard these days to know if that which is spoken is fact, or is it fiction. If everything said could be verified by ones personal witness of it, then maybe it would be easier. However, if you have ever seen magic performed, even your eyes can be deceived by the slight of hand. If you have people you know , that you would trust with your life, they too, in relaying to you what they believe to be facts, could also have been unwittingly subject to information that looked good, but in fact smelled rotten. All of us must screen everything we read or hear, or even see, through multiple filters to recognize the truth. Here are several methods that can help you filter out the good from the bad.
- Back in the Reagan Presidency, the term “Trust, But Verify” was well known. It is okay to trust information from a source, but it is vital to verify that information. Look for corroboration from multiple sources, and do not be swayed by sources that are anonymous. Anonymous sources are the worst kind. Information from them are often derived from a personal agenda. Their information cannot be corroborate and is most likely biased.
- Someone once said, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t”. Not everything always is what it seems to be at first glance. For example, a car speeds by you on the freeway. You wonder where is the police, to pull over that nutcase! What you don’t know is that the driver is rushing their severely injured child to the Emergency Room.
- Some people simply cannot be believed. We see a lot of them in the Washington D.C. area. They can be classified in the extreme cases as compulsive, pathological, or sociopathic liars. It would seem so many of them forget that everything they have said over the last few decades can be found in written form, on audio recordings, or even on film or tape. There are legitimate reasons for some people to “flip-flop” on issues, but that must be fully explained by them as to what motivated the change. It happens to all of us. If we never changed our thinking as we grow and mature, gaining more knowledge and experience, we would all still want ponies for Christmas.
- We must broaden our search parameters. This means that sometimes we need to be open to things that are said that we do not agree with. The more information one receives, the better a decision can be made. Why would we choose to limit our intake of knowledge? Are we afraid to find out that we are wrong, that we must apologize, or even repent? Do we fear losing esteem in the eyes of others? Will we lose treasured friendships or relationships? That really depends upon what you may value most, living in a lie, or living in truth.
- We are all prideful people, to one degree or another. To learn the art of humility is a virtue that can serve us well. To think we know everything there is to know about any specific subject, is to limit your ability to grow in understanding. If our species had not pushed the envelope of understanding, we would still think the world is flat, and that landing a craft on the planet Mars is pure fantasy.
- Finally, it seems interesting to know that our bodies have been equipped with two ears, but only one mouth. Maybe there is a reason why? Maybe we need to listen twice as much as we speak? We have all known individuals who we have admired, some of those we would call wise in our own understanding. When they would speak, we would listen, because we understood that they spoke from a position of knowledge and experience. It would often seem that those who speak less, are often listened to more fervently. We can be more like them if we would spend more time sitting at their feet, listening more, and talking less.
Please join with us in encouraging all of us to go mask free if possible, and to fully open up all businesses and institutions beginning JULY 4, 2021, as we begin to take back our freedoms.