One of the things that we’re constantly challenging is the threshold for truth. What is the standard people use to determine whether something is true or not? For centuries, people have used books as the gold standard of education, and it is generally accepted that if something is written, then it must be true–yet nothing could be further from the truth.
The only things you can assume from the written word are: 1)That someone decided that whatever was witten was important enough to write down–essentially that they wanted it committed to print, such that people wouldn’t be limited to hearing it only in the present; and 2) They want you to take what they have written as truth. Even with fiction–stories positioned as having been made up–the idealisms within are espoused as truth, even when the details of the story isn’t.
When we look at the written word in the context of historical “fact,” we know today that much of what is written in history books is either false, or represented from such a singular perspective that it completely ignores other perspectives that would impact how we view historical events.
We Are Writing And Rewriting History Right Now
All of the newspaper articles, books, online articles and blogs witten today are becoming part of the historical record. Just think about how we research past events. One of the first things we do is research to find out what was said about the event in news articles, books, and magazines. The people whose stories never made it to these books and magazines were either shown only through the lens of someone else, or were perhaps written out of history all together. This is why it is so important to tell our own stories, as individuals, so that we are not written out of the historical record.
In Episode 035: Right History of The Axiom Amnesia Theory with Heit & Cheri, we discussed how millions of people use Wikipedia for information, yet the content is user-generated. We shared our experience with Wikipedia’s point-promoted editors, while trying to update the article on the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Attempts to add relevant information were blocked:
These bogus Wikipedia “editors” are essentially rewriting history–they are telling lies and/or writing and presenting slanted content. This is the written record that people in the future will refer back to. We cannot let others tell our story for us without being represented in the discussion.
It doesn’t take long for the present to become the past. While it may seem like it’s not such a big deal right now while current events are fresh in our minds, how will future generations view those events? What will become the “truth” of the future?
Be Skeptical
Propagandists want to use the written word to shape public opinion about present and past events. So, while you are so busy thinking you are ahead of the game because you read a lot, have you ever stopped to question whether you should be believing what you’ve read?
Yesterday, I posted the following on my Facebook page regarding how many people view the information contained within police reports:
People are fool enough to think that just because they read something in a police report that it’s true. The police report is just the word of the officers who wrote it and their interpretation of “witness” statements. Just because it’s what people said doesn’t make it true…
Knowing all that we know about how the police and other “authority figures” will lie to make the official story maintain them in positions of no wrongdoing, people still believe the lies contained within reports. One recent example is the police report, which says that Chavis Carter managed to shoot himself in the head, while double-locked handcuffed in the back of a police car after having been searched twice.
Any thinking person knows that this is darn near impossible, yet this is what the police tell us and there are those who choose to believe them. In fact, their account of events actually becomes the truth in a court of law, regardless of whether it actually is true.
Take all that you read, see, and hear with a healthy dose of skepticism. Check the facts, and see if they align with what you are being told. And for goodness sakes, don’t be afraid to come to your own conclusion, and state it as such!
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