Sir Froggie

Sir Froggie’s Pondering
Ancient Amphibious Wisdom for a Modern Day World

LAUNCH YOUR OWN CAMPAIGN FOR TRUTH

How important is the truth to you? Do you value integrity? Would you like to make the world a better place?

Launch your own campaign for truth!

Whether in the workplace, at home, in the media or even in politics, we want the truth. We deserve the truth. We expect the truth! But are we willing to look for it? More importantly, are we willing to be an instrument of truth?

From the Bible to self help books, we are admonished to be impeccable with our word, to speak only the truth. And most often that’s exactly what we intend to do. But there are some situations which make it easy to spread things which are untrue.

The media is one example. Movies are magical because they bring stories to life and take us to places we’ve never been… and sometimes even where the film crews have never been! There are many movies and TV shows filmed in studios and local places representing foreign exotic lands half way around the world. As a result, our vision of these exotic places is not a correct representation. But it’s only the movies…

Or is it?

If our only perspective of someplace we’ve never been comes from film and TV then our belief of those places is skewed through the lens of those who produced the media. Sometimes it doesn’t make much difference. But there are times when it does, such as when it influences what we believe to be true of other cultures, peoples, and nations.

Journalism used to have the goal of presenting just the facts. Recently, however, many stories are reported through the bias of the journalist. As we listen to the news or read the paper, are we aware of these biases?

The news isn’t there just to keep us informed. It’s there to get high ratings and sell commercial space at a premium! Experiment and watch different news stations throughout the week. (You can also do this listening to radio stations.) Which ones present stories to keep you in fear? (There’s something in your refrigerator right now which could kill you… Story at 11!) Which stations use short teases or cliff hangers, presenting only some of the facts now, promising to deliver more later? Which newscasters include their personal opinions in the broadcast instead of just the facts? (Opinions are NOT facts!) Watching several different stations, did you notice discrepancies in any of the stories covered by more than one channel? Which one presented the unbiased truth? How did you feel after listening to each of the stations?

Another way many un-truths are spread is over the internet. We receive e-mail after e-mail. Many of them urge us to pass this important message on but how often we do stop to check its accuracy? Before passing along any e-mail, do a little research on the topic first. There really is no such thing as flesh eating bananas, but the e-mail that warned us about them swore they had checked the Center for Disease Control. One call to the CDC affirmed they were fictitious and simply designed to scare us. So was the scam about AIDs infected needles intentionally left on movie theatre seats around the nation in a terrorist attempt to spread the disease. The only thing being spread was more fear, or false evidence appearing real. Folks may have good intentions when passing the word on but are unknowingly passing along a lie and more fear -- things we definitely don’t need more of.

Also spread around the internet are stories about people… everyone from co-workers and students to politicians and celebrities. Many of these stories are written by someone who supposedly knew or encountered the person first hand and saw them do something scandalous, rude, crude, or dishonorable. Now they want everyone to know about it. Did you ever wonder why?

When receiving a message on the internet, especially one which directs you to pass it on, ask yourself the intention of the e-mail’s author. Go on a little fact-finding mission for truth. What kind of personal filters or prejudices are being spread with the message? Is the message trying to sway the reader to believe something positive or negative? Is the message filled with love or fear? Is its objective to spread a rumor or to genuinely help people?

These questions help in the workplace, your home, neighborhood, religious center, and circle of friends, too. Make it your personal policy to speak only the truth. Promise not to spread rumors or negative things about people. Keep your word impeccable. Vow to share only the good things and that which helps others.

Launch your own campaign for truth!

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