Who do you believe? What do you believe? Why do you believe it?
All humans are biased to some degree. Yes, we want other people to like the things we like, believe the things we believe, vote the way we vote, and on and on. To try and convince others to do that, we often stretch and shade the facts, tell “harmless” little lies, and sometimes deliberately mislead.
There is no information purity out there; we need to accept that. There never was. There are all kinds of motivations (good, bad, and indifferent) that make humans do what we do. We are crazily complicated creatures. There are people and organizations (made up of people) who work very hard to be objective and factual. There are also people and organizations who strive just as hard to deliberately mislead, lie, and sow disruption and fear. And, then there’s the rest of us.
How do we cope in a world like that?
It gets down to the basics; if the questions and the information is important to you in some way —
*Dig deeper — do not rely on just one or two sources of information. More than one source is a start, but seek information from a variety of sources and, as needed, a variety of opinions. Strive for understanding, rather than skimming a topic.
*Go outside your information “comfort zone”; break the thought bubble of social media — this is not an easy thing to do. Social media can provide for good things to happen, but it can also lead to very bad things. Know that social media is a double-edged sword.
Take responsibility for your self, your actions, and your opinions. Do not let yourself be herded along especially by social media.
The world is a big, complex place. Technology may have made it smaller, but not less complicated. Change is constant and not something to be feared; change provides opportunities. Understand and participate …
(Kevin Engel, December 13, 2018)
See —
Why is it so hard to change people’s minds?
Clues to deception; who is telling the truth?
Algorithms increasingly control our lives; is that a good thing?
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