A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.

We live in an age of mis-information.

Every bit of knowledge that Humanity has accrued from the beginning, is available, right  here at our fingertips. However, instead of dying, the culture of ignorance is still going strong in our society.

We have so much facts, so much information, that we no longer know what sources are credible, which stories are true. Or scarier still, we don’t even care about what’s true, especially if it goes against our pre-existing beliefs. This is very unhealthy for society.

Today’s news sources are based on exaggeration and are intended to be misleading, designed to be eye-catching, appealing to your hopes and fears. When we look at an article, the first thing you see is the headline, and for most people, that’s as far as you’re gonna get, the clickbait title has stoked your emotions, confirming your biases without a second thought.

Emotions are our first response to anything. Every time we consume information, the first process is how you feel about it, and your feelings will greatly influence your judgement thereafter. What people tend to forget is that we need to go further, use reason to confirm your feelings, not otherwise.

This typically isn’t done intentionally, most of us simply don’t have the time to research every single subject to verify the facts and look at things in an objective manner.  But try to take a few minutes to research it further, it will be worth not being fooled. Take notice of the source, is it reputable? is it biased in any way? take note of this, and remember it for the future. Biased stories can still have some value, but be sure to read the other side too, so you can make up your own mind.

The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it

-George Orwell-