In reality I guess I have many pet peeves, but one that truly
annoys me is when people read a simple headline or re-post a Facebook meme and
repost without bothering to test the truth of the content. Now this flaw really
has little to do with politics, religion or lifestyle choices — I honestly
think it is simply a matter of reading or hearing ONLY WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR and
then being so determined to prove that you couldn’t possibly be mistaken.
First of all, and I’ve told this story before, I had a Junior
High School teacher who taught his class a very valuable lesson; The ONLY way
you could truly be sure of your beliefs was to understand other viewpoints. He
said that if you couldn’t even listen to another opinion there was no real way
you could be sure that you were “right”. Basically every time you close
yourself off to other people’s thoughts, you really don’t have anything to back
up your own way of thinking. It is only when you have a lot of information at
hand that you can make an informed decision.
Everything you read on the Internet is NOT necessarily true,
and neither is any one “news source” guaranteed to present honest reporting.
There are also many who go only as far as a headline and never bother to
actually read the content of the article. And of course there are folks who
limit themselves to a sole source of “news” and never check-out IF that source
is reliable or not. I am not trying to get you to agree or disagree with me, or
to choose one candidate over another — I only want you to look at multiple
sources, review the facts and THINK FOR YOURSELF.
I certainly am not perfect, sometimes it is difficult to get
ALL of the information you might need to understand what really is going on,
and there are a few times I’ve made mistakes. If you spend time on a site like FaceBook
I am sure you have seen those popular memes that keep getting reposted only to
be followed by a litany of corrections and complaints. This can certainly be
avoided (you’ll probably never avoid all the complaints) if you take the time
to check the info. If you come across a meme or headline that has Chicken
Little shouting that “the sky is falling” take the time to search for that
information. If you are online simply Google the phrase, how many other sources
are reporting the same thing, or, how many sources are saying exactly the
opposite? Based on your findings it may be easier to believe one way or the
other.
Many of us tend to become complacent and comfortable
listening to just one radio station or read one newspaper and while limiting yourself
to just the one source of news if by itself dangerous, how do you really know
that you can trust that information? After getting into a political debate with
a friend I learned that her sole source of info came a single news broadcast
channel so I looked the channel up. No, it wasn’t the stories I was interested
in, I wanted to know WHO was behind this newen channel. Imagine my surprise
when I found corporate info that told about an owner who had been accused of an
actually indicted on a few charges of illegally terminating his employees if
they dared to report any negative news about the owner’s favorite politician! And
just to be sure of what I had found, I looked up another source and found very
similar information!
What I am trying to say is always check your facts. If you
find multiple sources that agree with your original point of view, terrific!
Whether I agree with you or not I can respect your opinion because you’ve taken
the time to educate yourself and make up your own mind. Maybe, just maybe, the information
you found will change your mind and that is good too. We are all entitled to
our personal views, so long as we really understand why we feel the way we do.
And if you really want to convince others to believe the way you do then
understanding their side will help you present facts and possibly even change
their mind. But above all, we all have to be willing to hear other viewpoints
and respect other opinions.
Here’s to a little less arguing and a little more progress
down the road.
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