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5 Tips For Wading Through The Waters Of Truth.



INTRODUCTION:


Do you believe everything you read or hear? If you do, then honestly, I feel bad for you because being properly informed is slowly becoming a thing of the past. Let's call it what it is. Even we as people, do not always tell it like it is. We tell people, and oftentimes, those that are closest to us, only what we want them to know. Face it, we all do it, and it's acceptable. Acceptable at work, in your personal life, with your friends, and almost anyone that matter. Why? Because everyone knows that everyone else does it. Therefore, it is an accepted practice. Yet, when it happens to us, frankly, we get pissed off. Why? Because we always want to be told the truth but do not always want to tell the truth or the full story. I call that "your selected truth." Interesting isn't it. It should be because it's true. We all have what I called selective truth. We select how much of the truth or what version of the truth we want to tell. For the most part, it works. UNTIL! We get caught doing it. My father always used to say;


"Always tell the truth, because you never have to remember the truth, but a lie you have to remember forever."


Just think for a moment how true that statement is. I said earlier, 'until we get caught.' Well, remember that lie or selective truth you told? One day it will come up again, and when you tell it differently, BANG! The trap was sprung and you got caught. When we speak of the truth it's like wading through the water. Each step you take, you don't know what you are going to step on. Yes, sometimes the truth does and will hurt. However, in the long run, you will always be better off, be a better person, and people will have greater respect for you.



WADING THROUGH THE WATERS OF TRUTH:


How do we know when we are being told the truth? These are difficult waters to get through because many times what we hear, we twist into what we want to believe.

Telling the truth, even in the mainstream media, is like the fisherman who throws out his line and waits to see what bites. The human comparison would be who bites. Politicians do this all the time. We expect them to. They have no other way to determine who will side with them and eventually vote for them until they send out a little bit of bait to see who bites. At least the fisherman has a better fighting chance. He/She knows what type of fish they are trying to catch and uses the bait that is proven to catch that type of fish. As people, we are very different than that fish that is known for taking the worm and getting hooked. Our advantage, if we know how to use it, is we have RESOURCES. In today's world, people do more fact-checking than years ago. The unfortunate part is that the ratio of those that fact check information as compared to those who just believe everything they read and hear doesn't even come close to being a balanced scale. Did you know that 9 out of 10 Americans don't fact-check information they read or hear? Check out this link. ZNET.COM.


This goes for the news, the newspapers, magazine articles as well as social media. President Trump used to call it "FAKE NEWS." Well, it's not an issue of who calls it fake news, the issue is it exists in all forms of media. Bogus websites are all over the internet that writes articles or states facts about people that are not true. When Denzel Washington was interviewed about truth with regards to journalism in 2016 was spot on. Here's the link if you wish to watch it. It's only one minute long.

DENZEL WASHINGTON STATEMENTS.


However, there must be a way to wade through these waters, and there is. However, it will take some participation on your part.


5 TIPS FOR WADING THROUGH THE WATERS OF TRUTH:


Let me say that these 5 tips apply to everything in your life.


1. Know the source - Is it a credible source or person?


2. Do your homework - Don't be so ready to believe something because you want to.


3. Check other sources - see what others are saying about the topic. Yes, at times, even in your personal life, you need to check on what you are being told.


4. If it sounds like a lie, it usually is a lie. - At times are need to believe what we are told is so important to us we miss the obvious signs of something not even sounding reasonable.


5. And this is the most important one. Learn how to read people. I enjoy watching Judge Judy. Not because of the cases, yes, I find the law quite interesting, but it's her ability to read people that is amazing.