We live in a time where knowledge is so diverse that truth can literally be what we say it is. Politicians and rulers are so powerful that they can control the flow of information so that it becomes disinformation. If you follow one stream of information you will be led to believe truth A. If you follow another stream of information, you will be led to believe a completely different truth. Truth B or any variation of the truth depending on the stream of information you hold to be the accurate one.
An example of this phenomenon would be the news streams relating to President Donald Trump. The comparative information streams about Trump in the news media describe several variations on two themes. Stream A is the liberal theme and in the media it is the dominant stream. It describes a sadomasochistic, somewhat doddering, largely immoral, tyrannical dictator who cannot be trusted and should never be the President again. This stream has been successful in dividing public opinion about Donald Trump to the point of initiating open revolt on the streets of the United States of America.
In this case, Stream B is the conservative stream which hails Donald Trump as a hero of the common man. It is a view that would have been popular across society in the post war and cold war eras. He is shown as an instinctively capable businessman, a successful corporate leader, a woman’s man but who wouldn’t want to be Donald Trumps woman, the savior of the American Dream, a bastion of conservative and libertarian philosophy, the only hope of quashing the traitorous democratic far left and averting a communist takeover in America.
In this way those who control the news media and information in all of it’s forms are able to manipulate the world view of the people who consume this data. To demonstrate my point I would make this statement. “I have never met Donald Trump in my life.” Yet based on my belief that the information I have accumulated from the news media over time I have a view of Donald Trump as a person. Even though I have never met the man personally.
This applies to many different items in the many different news streams that I have gathered information from during my life. When I was young I was afraid of the Soviet Union and believed it was the evil empire. I got this perspective from the news media even though I had never been to the USSR and had no physical proof that it really existed. I still haven’t been to the countries that comprised the USSR but I believe, still to this day, that the information I had when I was young was the truth.
What I am saying here is this. We live in a time where there has never been more information available about any given subject. We have a tendency to accept information that fits in with our schema of accepted knowledge or our personal truth, as we see it. So we are constantly adding bits of information to our overarching accumulated world view or general perspective on what is important in life and the world around us.
The question is “Are we skeptical enough about the accuracy of sources of the information that we accord the status of Truth?” This is an important issue to consider because it can alter our mood, the way we perceive things, the way others see us, the issues that we believe are important in our lives and the priority that we accord to them.
We can be labeled conspiracy theorist, crazed loon, leftist liberal, conservative crank and all because of the information that we gather and the amount of emphasis we place on its importance. The question is “Can we be sure the information that we are using is true?”
This is not a new question and it is one that had been dealt with in the same way for eons. To the Jew and the Christian the writings of the Old Testament profit Isaiah have this to say about a this same problem. Isaiah 33: 15,16 “He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly, who despises the gain of oppression's, who shakes his hands, lest they hold a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed and shuts his eyes from looking on evil, he will dwell on the heights; his place of defense will be the fortresses of rocks; his bread will be given him; his water will be sure.”
In short, if you See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil and Stay Close to God then all will be well you. Regardless of how important the information seems. How accurate, or how appropriate. It is better to focus on the Word of God and listen for the still small voice of the Holy Spirit1 in your life, than to stir yourself up with all of the uproar of this World and the chattering of Prince of Darkness.
Sanity relies on keeping your thoughts in proximity to God and studiously avoiding fleshly flights of fantasy. Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
1Still small voice. 1Kings chapter 19 verses 12-13
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