Fact, Fiction, Opinion: Trust

 

 

Have you ever listened to someone try to qualify how/why they believe in something ludicrous?  They believe it whole-heartedly.  But it simply does not make sense to most people.  Over the last decade, I have heard some wild, wild, conspiracy theories.  I hear it from educated, sane, good people but they have swallowed outlandish ideologies wholeheartedly.  They are as adamant that their truth is as true as we believe ours to be. 

There are three ways of promoting ideologies:  fact, fiction, opinion.  We should educate ourselves about the facts or fictions of an ideology.  We can be gullible and accept truths of armchair experts.  We can form our opinion based on fact or fiction.  Or, we can trust the experts, who know the stats, studies, outcomes, and know more about what is closest to fact.  No matter which we chose to believe, it takes trust.

We cannot know what the experts know, have analyzed, have produced data for, have run trials over.  We have to find a way to trust science and scientists and experts who are way more learned than we are.  Let me give you an example:

When were you born?  Give me the date.  How do you know this?  Are you sure that your parent, or the birth records are true?  How do you prove it?  You see.  You were there.  There is data.  It happened, but you have no way of knowing if it is the absolute truth without trusting the information you have been given.

With all the conspiracy theories out there, it is best to research and find your own truth, which will become your opinion, but based on your own research, serious research.  Do t be tempted to pluck out what fits your opinion/ego though.  Make sure you can back up your opinion with absolute facts as far as scientists or experts have come t some agreement through serious scientific study.  Beware armchair experts.  Beware of attention-seeking, known contrarians with hidden agendas.  We can have opinions but be open-minded enough to adjust your knowing, the same as expert adjust their knowing as new facts and evidences show up. 

I truly believe, for myself, that Trust has been put aside, trust has been lost, trust is a huge part of why we are all so polarized in the world today.  I have tried to live a life where everyone gets three chances before I turn away from them.  I no longer trust someone who has shown me their contrary side, and I no longer believe what they say and show me.  I really dig deep into my knowing of them and refuse to candy-coat the betrayals.  Once I did…ok, many times I did, but I have learned along the way and am still learning.  It can be painful.

I have walked away from some awesome relationships. I have taken too long to walk away from some relationships.  I have learned to stop defending myself and my beliefs.  Part of my Primal wound is that it was too easy to walk away, but I walked away without ever going deeply enough to know the reason why… the trigger and the reactive turn and walk.  I learned to set better boundaries and thus the three-count.  I had to learn that it is right to have an opinion but not a right to share it when it will cause controversy and divisiveness.  I am still learning to keep quiet and let alternate opinions simply float over me and not react to them.  I am learning to trust myself and my own opinions without needing to defend them.  That is huge. 

I do not know if I have explained this well enough, but, nonetheless, I hope it has given rise to some thought on the matter.  It is so easy to judge according to our Ego/opinion.  It is so easy to rise to defense.  Better it is that we trust those who are most expert.  It is better to trust our own pinion because we have done the search for all possible sides of the pros and cons.  It is better that we trust those who know more than we do.  And, if our opinion will cause fractures, drama, chaos and loss, then, perhaps, it is best to simply let our opinion rest with us.

What think you?

©Carol Desjarlais 04.10.22