Perceived Truth

Truth is seen as universal. There is one answer to the question, but I do not think that is right. Trying to convince someone to your side is next to impossible. Especially when their identity is attached to it. That is why politics is so polarizing. The issues are layered in emotion. There are things that you and I believe to be true based on evidence presented to us. We just accept that as fact. Like saying the Earth is round. Try telling that to a flat Earther. I have never met one, but I can imagine that no amount of proof is changing their mind. Who they are is wrapped up in this one ideal.

You could list off the proof. That ships disappear over the horizon or the higher you go up the further you see. They will never buy it, they always have something to dispute against those claims. Not that I have readers who think the Earth is flat (maybe I do, IDK). I tried finding a stat on how many people are flat Earthers, for dramatic effect. Now what happens when these types of truths get muddied in the more grounded realities?

Trying to filter out the noise of “real” is impossible. We are constantly bombarded with new information. Back in the day you had a couple of news sources to comb through. So you could easily cross check what was being relayed. In an age where information is accessible at your finger tips, it is hard to discern reality.

Social media has brought on a whole different beast. We are constantly being fed narratives that we do not have time to cross check. Like I mentioned above413, there was only like 3 news channels back when early television was around (1940’s, from my quick Google. Is that even right? I do not know). Those news channels were ABC, NBC and CBS. These are still around today, two of them are news channels. ABC is more film esquee stuff, or that is what I used it for.

Anyway enough going down a rabbit hole of early tv lore. Social media has in a way exposed the major news networks. Calling out the hypocrisy by fact checking in real time. That is all great stuff, yet another problem is born. So instead of trusting everything, we distrust everything. The “pendulum swings” is something I hear often with regards to this stuff. Do not know who coined it, so I am just going to leave it in quotes.

A major overcorrection happens. Which means it was probably overdue, but that breeds this low level paranoia. Wondering if what people post on their Instagram story is what is actual happening. Or if this is just another way for their side to dominate the narrative? This constant information flow makes it next to impossible to find time to research every little thing. Finding the time to be informed is extremely tough, especially when you want to focus on other things.

There is just not enough time to give you attention to everything. Which in a way I am probably advocating for taking people at their word. Which you should, but what happens when it clashes with your identity? We all live anecdotal lives, personal events inform our worldview. So whose to say that the way you view the is better than someone elses?

There is a societal answer, right? I think any sane person can see that if you are “good person” then you do you. You then have an issue of what makes someone good, then we devolve into a discussion of definitions. Which is just every argument. I hate watching those Jubilee videos where two people sit at a table and disagree about a definition. The only people who gained was the Jubileiers, because they got my ad revenue.

We all have those perceived truths. Some of us believe in God, others believe in evolution. We can all find evidence that fits our narrative