Just because we believe something to be true, does not make it true. Let me say that another way: belief is not synonymous with truth.
That said… emotions accompany our beliefs. But… since beliefs are not synonymous with truth, our emotions may also not be indicative of reality.
Hence, it depends what we’re putting into our heads and hearts.
What’s the ole’ saying? … “garbage in, garbage out”?
What we put into our heads and hearts matters. The challenge is that it’s hard to put in what’s actually true. We are inconsistent in our objectivity.
Take the current racial conflict, for example. How do we get to the truth about what’s really happening? … what’s an accurate perspective?
Simply sorting through a couple recent days’ headlines, I found this:
- Injustices by Police Against Blacks Must Be Addressed
- Time to End the Demonizing of Police
- It’s Time for White People to Reckon With Racism
- If You Don’t Want Cops to Shoot You, Don’t Resist Arrest
- Why Black Americans Say Racism Persists: The Cops
- The Big Racial Lie of the Anti-Cop Left
- Enough Already With “All Lives Matter”
- President Obama & the False Premises of Black Lives Matter
- Black Lives Matter Is Our Civil Rights Movement
- Black Lives Matter Spells Trouble for Democrats
- Is a White Life Still Worth More Than a Black One?
- Has Barack Obama Hurt Race Relations?
- How We Got to the Brink of Civil War; How to Stop It
- Racially Divisive Liberalism Comes Home to Roost
- BlackLivesMatter’s Violent Tone Alienating Liberals Like Me
So tell me: how can we discern what’s true?
Driving through the Windy City last weekend, I saw one person’s bumper sticker that read: “TURN OFF FOX NEWS!” (… yes, it was in shouting form…). I get it. FOX is a known conservative news source. Here’s the problem. The sticker did not read: “TURN OFF FOX NEWS AND MSNBC!” It only called for the turning off of one.
MSNBC, among others, is a known progressive news source. If people believe that the only bias necessary to be turned off and tuned out is “only one,” then they are limiting what gets put into their heads and their hearts. There is thus an increased likelihood that their perspective surrounding a certain scenario is based more on bias than on truth.
Let me add that part of the challenge for each of us is that it’s hard to discern objective news and a consistently objective news source. Ironically, all of the headlines shared above are from a singular source (www.RealClearPolitics.com). But at least by looking at both the left and the right, I can form a hopefully more objective, accurate perspective.
Objectivity is key.
Still looking for that on a bumper sticker.
Respectfully…
AR