How Does It Feel To Be Lied To All The Time?

Are we lied to all the time?  What is a lie?  A lie is something that is untrue that you're told to manipulate you in some way.  The father of lies, according to the bible, is no less than Lucifer, that angel of light that became Satan and to whom Saul Alinsky dedicated his book "Rules for Radicals."

The most sophisticated lie is one that is entirely true, just not the whole story, especially not the most important part of the story.  Of course to really be a lie the person telling you must know it is a lie.  That's were fellow-travelers come in.  If you lie to someone and they believe it, then when they repeat the tale it is no longer a lie despite being untrue for they believe it.

I'm getting lied to that way all the time.  Disinformation or propaganda it's called or maybe "spin" a rather new and nicer sounding word for the same thing.  The key to not being gulled is to know the truth, but that's hard since it is much easier to believe someone you trust.  That's accepting something on authority.  It doesn't matter that they don't know what they are talking about.  If you trust them then they become an authority for you and you proceed to swallow whatever it is that they have swallowed.

The solution is easy enough.  It was advanced a long time ago by Peter Abelard who said: By doubting we come to inquiry; and through inquiry we perceive truth.  The virtue of doubt is not that it contradicts a particular belief but that it suspends judgment.  Before believing anything we should do more than merely accept the word of a friend.  That is the starting point.  Dig deeper and discover the basis, if it exists, for what you have been told.  Then you can judge not only the truth of the matter but the reliability of your authorities.

Truth is another name for reality.  You can't go wrong with the truth.