How does one find the truth?? Who can be trusted?? ——This was a question that I was asked this morning.  Perhaps, the person asked it rhetorically perhaps not. Either way, this was my answer, and I thought I’d share it publicly as someone else might find it valuable.

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I believe you can find the truth and you can find trustworthy people/sources…. But, it takes time, energy, and a strong capacity to critically think and reason?

As for discerning the truth in an age of information overload and decision fatigue, here are some criteria I use to discern the truth:

What does someone have to gain by what they are saying or by what they are doing? Will they gain money, power, or fame?

What does someone have to lose for what they are saying or for what they are doing? Will they lose their family, their career, their livelihood, or their reputation?

Is a person in any position to be blackmailed or coerced into doing or saying something that is opposite of what they actually believe or would do of their own volition?

Is there any evidence that the person in question is saying or doing something in their personal life that is opposite of what they are saying or doing in their public life or telling everyone else to do?

If there is a video clip or audio clip or quote in question then I will search to find the whole video clip the whole audio clip or the whole quote to put the highlighted part in context. Does the context hold up to what was portrayed or does it change what appeared to be an obvious conclusion?

Is the source giving eye witness testimony or is it here-say?

What is the reputation of the individual making the accusation or giving a defense?

Who corroborates their testimony? And, what is their reputation?

Is there other corroborating evidence?

How much corroborating evidence is there?

Regarding documents – is it an original source document or is it just a copy or photograph or clip? Find the original source document(s) at all cost.

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Addendum:

It is imperative to live with margin in your life…. This is one of the greatest lessons I have learned in the past 5+ years. With extra time, energy, resources, and money you can be the head and not the tail…. What’s the difference? Well the tail just whips back and forth and is always following what is being done…. It has no clue what is going on in the world… it has no choice in the matter and it is just along for the ride….The head on the other hand is where decisions are made and where direction is set. The head is where the eyes, ears and mouth are located… where information is processed, wisdom is gained, and reasoning takes place. Most people are just echoing something around them. Very few people have a voice and something worth saying or listening too. Very few people are going in a direction worth watching or following.

Be different. Be a truth-seeker. Be a leader not a follower.