The familiar famous quote by Daniel Patrick Moynihan states “everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” But that was several decades ago and now a different narrative has emerged on the scene to challenge Moynihan’s assumption.
One would think living in the information age – in the year 2021 we would in fact profoundly value data-based conclusion more than unscientific opinion. But as we all have witnessed, that is just not the case. While conspiracy theorists have always unabashedly opined challenging the educated and informed, lately it seems the extreme ridiculousness of belief has shattered normal critical thinking capabilities.
As often is the case, when humanity leaps forward technologically and advances in understanding of the universe – there is a ground swell of stubborn defiance against any new information which challenges old maps, internal filters and rigid narratives.
Somehow having facts available to us with a swipe of our finger or by simply asking Alexa – a certain percentage of our population have grown even more skeptical, illogical and paranoid than in our less easily fact-accessible past.
In complete defiance of Moynihan’s quote, we are now living in a strange time where if we don’t like the facts being presented – we choose our own alternative facts which better fit our own model of reality.
Mark Twain adroitly stated “get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” While Twain was an observational humorist, I don’t think he would be laughing at seeing his directive taken so seriously and practiced by so many, even by some at the highest levels of power who have been entrusted with disseminating truth and facts to the masses.
It doesn’t matter that vetted scholars and trusted experts dedicated to non-partisan fact-finding have joined together to research fake vs. real, fact vs. fiction, conspiracy vs. reality; if we don’t like the facts being presented; we simply choose an alternative universe in which to live. Reverse evolution? Perhaps that is a new theory which could explain this modern toxic twist on stupidity -“denialism.”
For those who exist in the state of denial – every data point regarding the Covid-19 virus and vaccine has proven impotent against their own beliefs. But it is this other modern day pathogen of willful ignorance, self-deception and delusion that I find to be much more alarming. For this virus however, there is a cure. It’s readily available. Education is the inoculation. The choice is ours – and that is a fact not just an opinion.
This article was written by a guest blogger. The opinions expressed here are those of the writer and do not reflect the opinions of Bob Lacey, Sheri Lynch or the Bob & Sheri show.
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
