moneyFYI
Financial Freedom Is Merely Organized Common Sense
Do Facts Matter?
I suppose they could, but it is very difficult to judge by the infrequent use of them. Facts are useful when they support the current narrative or stereotype. In the absence of clear support, they will be manipulated to make them useful, or they will be made up to suit.
Facts seem to be strangers to politicians and the media. Why? Because they are not required to further the narrative. More often, fiction is easier to make exciting and urgent.
The price
Decisions made on a fictional base, are unreliable.
Abraham Lincoln lived in a simpler world, one where people tried to solve problems rather than acquire power. How quaint is his thought regarding getting facts to the people.
“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts“
How does the fiction approach fail?
Notice how it fails, not if it fails. Fiction has contrived connection to reality, but reality is more creative. Mark Twain has posited that “Truth is stranger than fiction, because fiction must be plausible.” Plausibility is a very high standard to maintain for a long time. Eventually new fiction must be created because the old has run its course.
New fiction has an even more stern standard. It must be plausible, exciting, and urgent. Worst of all, it must include the old fiction as a special case. How many iterations of that are possible?
How many are possible?
To my surprise, when I thought about it, it seems there is a way to allow for many repetitions.
The way is to deny Lincoln’s, “the people” ability to think. It doesn’t matter if the facts are available if the people don’t know what to do with them. If I watch how education evolves in the United States, less so here, I must assume it is the purpose to make education near useless when assisting students to become useful citizens.
Think about a movie, The Matrix. If people lose the ability to think and are offered a confused smorgasbord of plausible data points, why would the leaders need a “Blue pill” to provide the illusion of society? They would not. Fitting into the matrix would be effortless. There would be few alternative facts to find, and there would be no tools to think about what was visible.
If someone, or a small group, wanted to create a matrix-like society and had plenty of time to do it, what we can see happening would be close to what they would choose.
The requirements for a matrix without a blue pill.
- Non-thinking people. People with no tools to think with is just as good.
- Emphasis on data, oft-repeated.
- Denial of knowledge. Knowledge involves the verification of data and the fitting of the resulting information to structures that provide predictable outcomes. Knowledge can produce unwanted outcomes, so denied.
- The de-emphasis of history’s lessons. Cancel culture is exactly that.
- Superficiality. People are intrigued by fashion, celebrity, and drama. Emotion rules.
- Absence of the greater purpose theme. Religion is antithetical to the matrix. Anything outside one’s own pleasure is to be denied.
- The denial of access for the people who can and do think.
- The ongoing use of propaganda
Where is the tipping point?
The more urgent question is have we passed it?
- I think we have not passed yet, everywhere. I would look to many cities and decide the education system is well on its way to destroying the ability of people to think. Similar thoughts about delusional law enforcement.
- How far do we need to go to accept riots as a reasonable response to tiny incentives?
- Why are facts, events usually, presented without context. In the United States, there have been fewer than 500 people aged 18 or less who have succumbed to Covid-19. You should know other facts. Like there are 74 million people in that demographic. Most, possibly all, of those who died had serious co-morbidities. Why do masks on children make sense?
- What you believe colours what you decide. If the beliefs are not rationally formed, the decisions won’t be either. Are you in the habit of reassessing what you believe? Old experience may harm you.
- Can you recognize the irrational ideas of others? Can you recognize your own?
- Can you assess information and data that comes your way?
- Do you spend any time thinking about what events and political ideas mean?
The probable outcome
The matrix must be universal or it will fail. The exceptions will eventually become known.
Things that don’t work, don’t last unless no one knows they don’t work.
The takeaway
Misplaced empathetic ideas are not rational. They are preferences for just a few people.
Knowing information is nice, knowing how to think is priceless.
BE SKEPTICAL.
I help people have more retirement income and larger, more liquid estates.
Call in Canada 705-927-4770, or email don@moneyfyi.com
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