The Truth?

How do you determine what you believe and will act upon and what you don't believe? I ask this question in order for you to understand propaganda. You cannot understand one without understanding yourself.

I will let you think on that while I explain what propaganda is. Propaganda can be true or false, not all propaganda is lies. Propaganda is a technique of getting people to believe something. It is getting the masses to believe the same thing, not everyone, the masses.

Let me give an example. Fluoride. I don't know if you believe fluoride in the water is a conspiracy or not. I don't have an opinion myself. It doesn't matter for this example. Do you believe fluoride in the water is safe and protects your teeth. That is what we have been told. Why do you believe it is safe, if you believe such a thing?

The vast majority of Americans believe fluoride is safe and good for our teeth. How did we come to believe this? I know why I believed it, the government spent millions on commercials and reports and news articles. I watched them growing up as they began fluoridation of the water systems. My government told me they had checked it out and that it was safe and good for me. Because of this I didn't drink bottled water, I wanted the fluoride.

I was a kid. I don't trust what anyone tells me anymore unless I have investigated it. That started pretty young because I discovered the teachers didn't know things I knew. Most kids are trusting of what they are told, they don't care if it is the truth, they just want to fit in. That is why repetition is the primary process of propaganda. We want to swim with the crowd.

The crowd is not what you think, it is the crowd you choose to be with. The next thing that causes people to believe garbage is that it is in agreement with what they do. We like to be told that what we are doing is good and right even when it is not.

You cannot cheat an honest man. If you are honest with yourself then you will know when you hear propaganda. You will know it is false because the truth is inside you. You know when you are doing things for the wrong reasons, you can hide from it, justify it and even tell yourself how decent in doing so. Somewhere deep down inside you, you will know you are lying to yourself.

While I was writing this a young man was asking me questions about business and I somewhat lost my train of thought. I apologize. Have a great day, the rains have begun in earnest here.