Truth is the property of being in accord with facts or reality. Truth is usually held to be the opposite of falsehood. Our problem today is that falsehood in politics and religion, and medical misinformation are being promoted as truth while the actual truth-speakers are being condemned as dangerous trouble-makers.

As I was reviewing some notes about “truth,” two quotations caught my attention. The first is from the American writer William Faulkner (1897- 1962): “Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world would do this, it would change the earth.” The other quotation is from Hannah Arendt (1906 – 1975), the German historian and philosopher who became interested in how the most outrageous lies get a political hold over people, ever since Nazi lies about the Jews and intellectuals drove her from Berlin in 1933 after her arrest by the Gestapo. 

Arendt wrote: “This constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong. And such people, deprived of the power to think and judge, are, without knowing and willing it, completely subjected to the rule of lies. With such people, you can do whatever you want.” I also recommend Arendt’s book The Origins of Totalitarianism. The most recent edition was published, very appropriately, this year in May.

Rather than making decisions on what is true or not true, many people today make decisions on what they FEEL is true or most probable. Narrow feeling perspectives replace thoughtful examination of the actual reality. In an email, for example, I asked a friend why he still strongly supports the incumbent U.S. president. His reply was polite and brief: “I just feel that God has blessed him. I feel he has been chosen by God to be president again. I trust my feelings.”

When people lose the ability to be critical observers and critical thinkers, they become unable to distinguish between verified facts and falsehoods. That becomes problematic, because they cannot recognize “the big lie.”

“The big lie” is a great distortion of truth. It was the propaganda technique, originally coined by Adolf Hitler in his 1925 book Mein Kampf. There he wrote: “The great masses of the people… will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one.” Hitler stressed that if a known falsehood is repeated regularly and treated as true, “the big lie” will be taken for granted rather than critically questioned. The Fuehrer’s lies were regular and colossal.

The key question is how do we know what is true and what is not true when watching the news, observing elected officials, listening to religious speakers, or using social media? 

Coming from a family of educators, my focus is on education. My paternal grandfather “Alonzo” was a hoosier schoolmaster. As John Alonzo Dick, I have inherited not just his name but more importantly his commitment to education. But we all have a responsibility to educate.

We all need to help people develop critical thinking skills. This is an essential part of education: learning how to observe and ask critical questions. What is the source of the information? Is it a reliable source? People who spread fake news and “alternative facts” sometimes create web pages, newspaper stories, or AI-generated images that look official, but are not.

We all need to combat ignorance. As an historian and a theologian, I realized long ago that a great many church leaders need remedial historical and biblical education. They may be well-intentioned but too often what they say about church history and biblical understandings is simply out of date and not true.

We are not expected to have all the answers on our own. As we look for truth, we can turn to trusted sources for guidance. That may mean a trusted mentor, a well-informed friend, an insightful public figure respected for her or his integrity, or a respected book using primary source material. Footnotes with documentation are important.

We ought to be greatly concerned about the survival of the humanities, now being unfunded and pushed to the side. The humanities insure and safeguard how we process document and understand the human experience. We desperately need literature, art, music, and history to truly be human and to understand who we are as human beings. Most importantly, we need the humanities to experience and relate to the Sacred – the Divine.

Fact-based knowledge, critical thinking skills, historical awareness, and anchors in art, music, and literature are essential elements in maintaining a humane and humanizing life and culture.

What sources of news can one trust? A credible news report will include a variety of facts, quotes from bonafide experts, official statistics, or detailed and corroborated eye-witness accounts from people on the scene. If these are missing, one should question the report’s truth and accuracy. Does the evidence prove that something definitely happened? Or, have the facts been selected or “twisted” to back up a particular fabricated viewpoint?

Ultimately, people will come to the realization that denying the truth doesn’t change the facts. But sometimes the process goes painfully slow. I often think about the observation of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), the Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist: “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it–always.”

This week’s reflection comes a couple days early because I am busy with preparations for an important family reunion.