The Truth is the Truth ~ All Else Is an Option ~ History Tells Us So

Let’s begin with some unequivocal debunked old-time “confirmed biases” – “silo rhetoric” – “conspiracy theories” – “BIG Lies“. . .  the ones we agree were astonishingly incredible doozies – by the way – they still exist and are believed by a diminishing segment of society.

Drum role please . . . “The earth was flat – created flat!” Might as well mention the other connected debunked conspiracy theory . . . “MAN (literal absolute meaning) along with EARTH (limited absolute meaning) were centers of the universe.”

For hundred of years human beings not only believed such absurdities but preached them as laws and gospel by Monarchs, Strong Men and Church. Men (literally) held the power and control – not of the TRUTH, but the precious narrative. All along, patiently waiting, was the universe . . . its galaxies . . . humanity and the TRUTH.

Those middle ages were rough and tough on the TRUTH. “Big Lies” were the laws of the land. To express otherwise was considered blasphemous, scandalous and heresy. Learned scholars, academicians, philosophers – even theologians were tortured and murdered for expressing their science-based-research-data findings. To even contemplate a substitute for an absolute well-defined heaven and earth was to invite a fettered life.

Let’s be clear, the notion that the world was flat (not the Thomas L. Friedman’s metaphor) was affirmed by social, cultural, political and religious powers in control to “confirm” constructed notions of reality.

Spoiler alert – “altered realities and fake news” was not created in 2016 by Republican Trumpism or by Fox News Rumors.

Alternate Facts, Confirmation Bias, Big Lies, Selective Search-Interpretation-Recall was a focused and engineered social-cultural-political phenomenon during the ethnic-religious cleansing of native people, colonialism, slavery and the 1930s and 1940s.

For well-intended common folk it was a matter of “congeniality bias“, “myside bias”, “selective fact retention” and “belief perseverance.” That is, “my biases” doing no harm to others. But there has always been an ugly side to aversive -isms and phobias.

According to current research by FBI, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Pew Research Center, America continues to be challenged by Domestic Terrorists, White Supremacists, Hate Groups and a segment of society that is opposed to the study of any history dealing with inhumane historical events.

“Confirmation bias” has been around for centuries, always with the same foci and reasons. Its dilemma has always been the TRUTH – especially when it comes calling and can’t be denied. It’s then that, “Houston, we have problem!” Upon the TRUTH showing up, the mess can really get messy.

One major example was the pandemic. Death became impossible to talk around, blame around, and confirmed bias around. Covid-19 just killed the contrived narrative that the pandemic was “a hoax, temporary flu, gone in two weeks.” The TRUTH was, and is, that it kills family members, friends and colleagues. But oh how they tried to deflect, politicize and radicalize it – still do.

You see, those professing options to the truth, always need to blame something or someone. This time it was that the pandemic was anti-American, anti-states rights, anti-parent rights, anti-education, anti-keep America open, and of course the standard cry . . . “You are not the boss of me.”

At some point, the American people began to figure out the scams, altered facts, denialism and obstruction. A large segment of American society do not like to be lied to. They don’t fear but embrace the TRUTH. At some point, supporters of ‘altered options’ run out of options and are exposed.

So how do “liars” keep the “believers of the lies believing the lies?” Maybe, tell more “little lies” to cover up the “Big Lies”?

One strategy is to continue to lie but do it louder, more often and double, triple down on the lies. At the same time create distractions – keep the goal posts moving – create anxiety, fear and chaos. Blame immigrants, government, teachers, historians, liberal women, BLM, LGBTQIA+ communities – anyone to draw attention away from the TRUTH and truth telling.

The delegitimization of the truth has always been a major component of “confirmation bias” – a central tenet and master plan of totalitarians, autocrats and dictators focused on an obsession to use, abuse and dupe human kind in order to centralize, acquire and maintain power and control.

But the culprits need a ready and willing made audience. History teaches that a society has to be predisposed to eagerly and passionately believe falsehoods. This makes its easy to “confirm” grievance politics, victimization, fear mongering, replacement theories, race science, racism, sexism, xenophobia and scapegoating.

No, don’t look for policies that would enhance the quality of life for all. No, don’t look for collaborative problem solving but rather just complain and blame.

Therefore this is not about just those political hacks but this is about US as well. Our due diligence, our emotional intelligence and our moral courage in search of the TRUTH. The journey is never easy. The TRUTH continually nudges and urges introspection that can be uncomfortable and painful.

So how do we do this? History provides the penetrating lenses. That is, if we consider all the chapters, not just some. History can be an MRI that shows the layers of humankind and unkind.

This is why there have always been desperate attempts to revise, distort, deny and alter historical stories and counterstories. History is not kind to extremists, dictators, autocrats, authoritarians and despots.

The reasons why promoters and investors of “confirmation bias” fear providing all of history’s stories is because the TRUTH tends to make citizens ask critical questions. It can question layers of personal identity, beliefs, attitudes and values.

The TRUTH is free of political denominations, titles and partisanship. The TRUTH liberates rather than imprisons. It does not nest in one region of the country. Historical TRUTH provides reasons beyond names, dates and events. It provides not only the conventional stories but also counterstories.

Historical TRUTH does not make excuses or create fictional social and cultural fantasies. Historical TRUTH invites ongoing research, in-depth analysis and authentication. TRUTH can’t be censored, taken off the shelves of libraries and classrooms. TRUTH can’t be burned or white washed.

Historical TRUTH does not tell us what to think or who is right or wrong but allows us to decide . . . and that is the rub with marketers of “BIG LIES”, misinformation, alternate facts and dishonesty. They don’t get to force-feed their versions of the TRUTH.

The TRUTH exposes disingenuousness which causes the loss of credibility, trust and ultimately power and control of the narrative. The TRUTH empowers. It does not harness, silence nor blinds.

The truth is stubborn and has always had a relentlessness to be recognized and authenticated. But that process is left up to us – always has been and will be.

At the beginning of this article, it was emphasized that one dishonest man, one corrupt party and/or one inhuman ideology was not the problem we face in the 21st Century – but that it was US.

What we believe the TRUTH to be is a reflection of US – our learned and constructed identity – and therefore the dauntless challenge is to not lie to ourselves about ourselves.

We created our history. We wrote each chapter. So is it up to us to write future chapters as we live the TRUTH each day of our lives.