Truth and the Printed Word

“There is a human tendency to accept what appears in print as having withstood some incredible truth test.”

Rachel Page Elliott

With the advent of the information era how do we deal with the huge volume of ‘printed’ matter? How do we ascertain the validity of all that we read? What filters do we inherently possess? Are there parameters that will help us to determine truth?

I often hear, “I read it on the internet,” and the context and implication is that because it is available to read it must be true. How did this system develop? Should we overcome it?

Popular belief, and teaching, in scientific circles is that if a topic has been researched and a

paper published in a journal, then we must accept it as true and valid. I say that we need to question this notion. Research is affected by the person conducting the experiment. Bias is inherent. Scientific models set up to test theories are flawed. I believe it is possible to prove anything you want to prove provided the experiment is set up correctly.

Scientific medical research can prove the efficacy of acupuncture in managing pain. If a different phrase is placed in the search engine we can find as many articles disproving the efficacy of acupuncture. The same applies to homeopathy. Search for adult stem cell therapy and there is surprisingly little research to back up a very popular modality. Now, isn’t that interesting?!

What is my point? My point is that as an individual we must develop our own navigational system. We must actively discard societal norms that oppress us. We must strive to gain knowledge and understand topics which are close to our hearts. We must become aware of our own selves and seek intimate knowledge of who we are. Put all of this together, and when faced with a difficult question/decision we can look within. Intuitively, on a Soul and energetic level, we will find our own truth.