“What is true?” It’s an interesting question, especially nowadays, when people talk about disinformation, fake news, etc. The question “What is true?” is asked more and more often, but does not always lead to a definitive answer. In computer science, there is a variable called a bit that can have the state 1 or 0, aka true or false. This is similar to a normal light switch that turns the light on (true) or off (false). In these examples it is easy to see what is true or false. It becomes more difficult if we replace the light switch with a light dimmer, which allows us to dim the light somewhere between fully on and fully off, a bit like fifty shades of grey. It just makes it much harder to see which state is true or false. A similar effect is happening today, with people saying they’re telling the truth and others saying they’re not, and vice versa. This makes it much more complicated, because who do you believe? Or do you choose none of the two, which relieves you of the choice? The result is a smoldering problem that may eventually suffocate or, if you are unlucky, catch fire and get worse.
As a person being asked to choose who is telling the truth, there are some interesting views that may (or may not) help. The first is that (as mentioned above) what if there is no true or false, what if there are just multiple views, or multiple shades if you like, of that particular issue? This would mean that both sides are partly true and partly false. If this is the case, another interesting question is “Do they both want to be right?”, like two children arguing about who started the fight. If the answer is yes, another question can be “Is it a fact they are defending or an opinion that is being dressed up as truth?
And even if they are defending a “fact”, it is good to find out if that fact was made up by human beings. Because if we are honest, a lot of facts are just group decisions or something that a lot of people have agreed on. Take for example our “countries” or “money”, they exist and gain power because we believe in them. If we stop believing in them, they cease to exist. And that is the true power of a group of people, they can alter what is true by believing that it’s true.Take trees for example, we call them trees, they have brown bark and green leaves, that’s what we’ve agreed, but if 50% of society decides we don’t call them trees, we call them puppies with pink skin instead of brown bark and black spots instead of green leaves, who’s right? In the end, everybody.
What I am suggesting is that you decide for yourself what is true for you and live accordingly. Without interfering in other people’s lives and their choices, and yes, you will meet people you don’t agree with. But listen to their ideas with respect, thank them afterwards and move on with your life if it doesn’t suit you.
Thank you for reading 😉