Info Wars

The first thing we consider when assessing any situation, whether we know it or not, is our depth of knowledge right?

Wrong.

I think the first thing that's considered is what we've heard about something. That is, for most of us anyway.

Think about it.

When I would get curious about something, the first thing that popped into my head was what I had heard about it. Be it word of mouth, tv, radio, online, paper, mag, etc. etc. My typical sources for information.

Whether or not I actually knew something on the subject was rarely, if ever, considered. Because if I actually did know something, my opinion was based on that without giving it a second thought.  But if I could recall hearing something about it usually I formed an opinion, also without giving it a second thought. And usually without much actual knowledge on the subject. But it didn't matter because I already had my opinion.

I, like most of us, tended to treat word of mouth and media as sufficient for gaining knowledge.

But what if the sources we've become accustomed to, turned out to not be very credible sources of information?

How would we know that?

What would have to happen for us to begin to second guess where we've put our faith for reliable 'intel'?

Would we rely on the same sources?  In other words, would we try and look at what we're seeing or hearing from a different angle?  And if we did, at what point do we actually consider the source, instead of the content?

I'll bet if you asked a million people who've changed their sources of information why, you would get a million different answers.  So it must be a personal experience, no matter how small, that makes us first even question anything, right?

I mean, something has got to ring that little bell in our heads, or sound that alarm. And external things don't usually do that. We've normally got to feel something for that to happen.

So suppose we do feel something.  Suppose we hear, read, see something that we just plain don't like. What is it that makes us say "Wait a minute. There's gotta be an explanation for this". Or "That's just flat out BS"?  But instead of stopping there, we actually make some effort to get to the bottom of it, or to PROVE to whomever, maybe ourselves, that what we don't believe, is unbelievable. Or why what we DO believe, IS believable. What makes us do THAT?

What I'm suggesting is that maybe we need to be hit somehow.  Maybe we need to feel challenged in some way. Made to feel inadequate or ignorant before we reach that point of actionable curiosity. Maybe we need to run into something that is so unbelievable to us that we just can't let it go. Or maybe we just need to win an argument or a debate...save face.

Whatever it is, for each of us, that makes us start to question, and stop accepting on faith, is something I think today, in this time in history, we need to find, individually AND collectively.

There's no question, unless one is really on another planet, that all is not right with the world. Many don't know what's wrong. They can't put their finger on it, but it's nagging at them and maybe a little fear of what they'll find is what keeps them from asking questions. Who knows but them?

But for those of us that want to understand what's happening, I mean really get down and dirty, we need to look at our sources of information don't we?

Obviously where we've been going hasn't done a very good job for us has it?  We wouldn't feel so uneasy if it had, because we would feel informed and in tune and wouldn't be asking any questions would we?

So the best way to start is to challenge ourselves. Ask ourselves the tough questions about our own depth of knowledge on any given subject, starting with the ones we feel passionate about. We need to challenge ourselves as if someone else just did.  Find that feeling and let it motivate us to the answers.

I suggest starting with something contriversial, like political correctness, and working your way backward. Think of as many examples of political correctness you can, and try and find a sane, rational explanation of the opposing position.

You'll be surprised where that can lead and what you can gain from it.

You may find yourself with entirely new sources of information that you didn't even know existed, but that you find yourself trusting implicitly.  After you've come to a near complete understanding (in your head) of even just one topic that's bothered you in the past, you'll likely find that whatever your position is, be it the same or changed, that it's a solid one.  One built less on passion and more on logic. You will likely have discovered a truth previously unknown to you. And the funny thing about truth is that it really grabs ya and doesn't seem to let go no matter how hard ya fight it.

The important thing I want to drive home here is that with this magnificent invention called the internet, the answers to virtually anything we want to know are at our fingertips.  We no longer have to feel ignorant or uneducated about anything. But with such available knowledge comes the challenge to use it.

The traditional mediums of information are still here and fighting tooth and nail not to lose relevance in today's cyber world.  They are more than happy to give you as much knowledge on the topics they see fit to cover. They have all the answers for you and won't bother you with anything they don't feel is relevant to your life.  That's much simpler than the internet isn't it?  It's all right there and you don't have to think.

Waking up is not, by any means, an easy task.  It can be painful and costly, but there's a kind of  peace in knowledge that you won't find anywhere else. And I don't necessarily mean just academic.

No one knows it all, but I believe today we owe it to ourselves and our kids to know as much as we can. Not just from experience, but from exploration also.  We need to take full advantage of the war between the internet and the media, and use it to answer the questions we're asking deep, deep down in places we don't want to go.

We need to understand what's happening in our world today, and with as much intellectual honesty and integrity as possible if we want to accurately assess our situation.  This can only come from actual, truthful knowledge, no matter how it's acquired.