It’s not that facts are crooked, but getting right, in order and knowing why they are true is definitely important. Is all of this important? Sure. Facts are simply things that are known or proved to be true. Yet, when you state them out of order, shade the knowledge, or misuse them, then you put everyone in danger!
Think this one through: “Ready! Fire! Aim!”
Many years ago I attended a workshop called, “Train the Trainer” – or something like this. We did an exercise where an “eyewitness” described a traffic accident, then quietly repeated all the facts to the next person. The rules stated you could ask no questions, make no notes, and could rely only on your memory. Why? As the “hearer” of the “eyewitness” account, you could only repeat the information your brain processed to think as the most important details. You then repeated them to the next person, who followed the same instructions, and repeated them to the next person. 20 people in, the facts were blurred, the details were lost, and the final person only knew there had been an accident. Over there. Somewhere.
The purpose of the exercise was to show that everyone garnered information differently, ordered it a certain way in their mind, and then restated the information that was pertinent to them. There’s probably a deeply detailed and scientific study as to “why” we struggle with the facts, but the reality is that none of us perfectly recite what we know. Or think we know, even, wished that we knew!
The Facts of Life
Since we all come to life differently, “just the facts, ma’am” (Joe Friday, Dragnet) only works some of the times. Even with all the facts needed to make good choices, too many of us struggle with the order of facts. Our receptor skills are not up to par, the processing is confusing, and the output is highly questionable.
In other words, Garbage in. Garbage out.
You could read all the books in the world, have a great ability to process all that knowledge, and still produce falsehoods. Facts have foundation and order, sort of like building blocks. To know something “is” requires us to know all those other pesky enigmas that established the fact.
Many of us are good at factoids, but useless at facts! Why? Facts take a lot of work to get to the foundation of truth and knowledge, factoids are the summations, the one-liners! Click To TweetFactoids represent the truth, but below the surface is the facts that bring you through. Yet, buried in the facts are many weeds! Think about it. Shades of truth, outright falsehoods, and all the twisted views of facts!
Flushing Out The Weeds
This is important. We need unbiased questions, a mind yearning to seek out answers, a processing sequence that seeks answers and proves the truth. We need the order to document correctly. Then we need a way to recite the truths to all those who receive, process and live in a way that is unique to themselves!
A fact hunter knows there are no bad questions or viewpoints, but must strain through all the gunk to get to the truth. In fact, you must know the weeds from the good stuff! Think about that the next time you go out to weed your garden!
Think about a courtroom. It is said an attorney should never ask a question they do not know the answer to. They are attempting to lay out the facts to the jury. Facts as they see them that tell their view of the story. By the time you get to trial, all the investigations have been done, now, let’s just present the facts. In order, so that even the sleepiest juror can follow the trail to their conclusion.
WAIT! Can the jury ask questions? Go to the crime scene? Read the reporter’s view? Call for their own witnesses? Hmmm. Can they take notes? Deliberation allows them some latitude, but they better be in that room prepared to decipher the facts, as presented, and render a decision! They better know the law!
WAIT! How much of the law do they need? Should they be attorney’s themselves? The one thing I know, facts are facts, truth is the truth, and what I base my life around needs to do it on a foundation of truth, faith, and knowing the facts.
We Are Like Those Jurors
Facts (whether truthful or not) are recited, the law is explained, and decisions must be made. Understand this, however, not all facts are pertinent to this moment of life. What’s relevant? Everyone in the courtroom thinks they know!
Still, we live by those choices, and we choose based on those facts!
During the past few weeks, I’ve lived my life without knowing all the facts. It’s been tough, frustrating, and stressful! Surrounding me are traps, falsehoods, slanted views, innuendos, and a host of descriptive words that describe an imperfect time period. I’ve kept much of my journey silent, not even telling those close to me the struggles that I’ve felt, the lies I’ve uncovered, the shakiness of another person’s foundation.
Emotions are a terrible truth-teller!
The one thing I’ve learned, and have known for a long time, everyone processes at a different pace and come from a different place. Part of my world must allow others to be where they are and give them space to move forward. If they cannot, then I have choices to make!
I’ve had stress loads I’ve never felt before, and feelings that are internalized but starting to leak out. I’ve reached a time where I must make choices and am prepared to live by my decisions. Fact-finding over. Deliberations over. It’s now time to render the decision.
Here’s My Bottom Line
Reading an article this morning, Bill Gates stated several books he expected all new associates at his foundation to read that helped him look at the world differently. [Source] What he’s looking for is this constant view of the world that requires you to keep learning. This is a good thing! Else, we would still be stuck in the world of our past! Keypunch cards, anyone?
Life keeps changing, but my view of God does not. Can not. In fact, I keep seeing him more clearly as I age, and time slips out of my grasp.
God said, “I change not” (Malachai 3:6). Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) If I am going to find “success” in this life, then I must keep him at the foundation center of my life. Everything I think and do must revolve around him and his word.
This world will keep changing. Lies and innuendos will still be produced. Factoids will change because our knowledge base is growing. But the one thing I will keep as my center will be Jesus. Always the same. Never changing. Constant. Solid. My foundation.