The Power of Discernment

In modern times there has never been a period in the entirety of human history where we have been swamped by so much information.

With social media dominating our lives there is a huge amount of false information constantly being thrown at us in every direction.

Some unintentionally and just subject to biased opinions, or lack of proper research.

Then in other cases you have individuals deliberately trying to propagate false narratives to try to further there own interests.

Politicians are often frequently guilty of this when many are prepared to say anything for you to agree with what they want or to believe in them.

So as an individual what can you do to get to the truth?

The answer is to look at yourself and make sure you are self aware of your own identity and feelings.

This is harder as it sounds as since birth so much gets projected on to us every day. But the easiest way to check in with yourself is to take sometime each day to be alone and still and listen to the voice in your head and the silent observer which is you who listens to it.

By doing this frequently you can listen to your own thoughts and feelings.

Once you are self aware you can begin to use this time to reflect on key pieces of information.

Take a topical news story and first about the information you have heard. Ask yourself is the information told in that story accurate? What was the source of information in that story? Is there any reason for the source of information in that story to be biased in anyway? If I checked other news outlets, sources of information for that story what would I find?

By exploring any story in this manner multiple perspectives begin to emerge with the truth often being mixed in all the information being shared.

In previous blogs I have wrote about how powerful perception is. And it is your sovereign right as an individual to always decide if you wish to not accept anything at face value, question everything and then draw your own conclusion on everything you have heard.

No one else has the right to tell you what to believe, you always have the ability to decide for yourself.

As a professional researcher I can't read a news story or research paper without exploring all angles and sometimes I take this to the extreme and dive right into the source data behind statistics and carry out my own data analysis.

But one of the most remarkable things I have learnt in maintaining my own self awareness over the years. Is as I have got better at sitting in my own silence with my thoughts.

Sometimes without even doing the research a silent part of myself can discern the truth. And I believe this is an inherent ability we all have.

To find it. All we need to do is look inside.