Truth today

How do we know what is true and what is real today? It is a very important question to answer as we see a battle of information taking place like never before. 

I remember my teenage years, back in the time of the analog age of technology. Back then, my life was based on simply living it, while at times looking over the daily news paper that my father had delivered to our house every morning, or at times watching the evening news with my family. It was a family event to gather after dinner in the living room, watch something together. Back in those days, without internet and cellphones, most of my time was spent with my studies in college, sports or simply hanging out with my friends, but yet, I was very well able to keep up with important things and world events. Often I got the suprise “pop in” visit from somebody, or I myself used to practice the same thing. I had a very active social life, yes, even without social media, and really had a network of close friends that lived in my area. Life today runs to a different beat, and I must admit that sometimes I really miss the old days without internet and social media. Those of us that have lived in these times know what I am talking about. These were the beginning days of having for the first time a remote control for your television and the emergance of the VHS recorder. 

With the technological revolution and the rise of the information age, all of us have become consumers of large amounts of information on a daily basis, simply by using our personal electronic device. To put this into perspective, in a recent study of the University of California, it was calculated that the average person consumes about thirty-four gigabytes of data every day, translating into three to five hours of screen time daily. Think about that for a moment. With all the changes taking place, we really have become consumers of data, consumers of information. Now the important question arises about the content, the intent and the quality of the information we consume. Let me ask you this: With all the information that you take in every day, how much of it do you verify or research? When it comes to food, the old saying states: You are what you eat! Is the same true with the consumption of information that is so readily available to us? Are we becoming what we consume via information and data intake every day? 

I truly believe that a constant intake of unfiltered information does have an effect on us. There are many books writen about the use and the impact information has on society, especially when it is controlled by a few powerful media corporations. I think George Orwell with his book 1984 shows that very clearly, but also, the groundbreaking book written in 1928 by Edward Bernays “Propaganda”, which for many is the guide book for marketing and the beginning of the few shaping the opinions of the many through the targeted use of information.

From my perspective as a Pastor that deals with the personal life of people on a daily basis, I can tell you that the constant consumption of information does impact the human heart, the mind, emotions and the thought process. The word of God clearly teaches that there is a great difference of living according to the things of the world, and the things of the Spirit. Yes, we can be happy about progess and the free access to all kinds of information, but just as it is with food, not everything that we can view on social media or the internet is good for us.

In my newly released book “The Illusion of Choice”, I present to the reader what impact information does have on us as human beings when it comes to decision making. We must understand that information has always been sent to accomplish something. Information does not exist in a void but it serves a purpose. For many today, information has become a quick fix by absorbing talking points that are prepared by someone unknown to them which then are continously repeated. People freely repeat these talking points that they have heard and read over and over again and let them influence or help form their opinions on certain topics of social and public importance. When asked about more details, the why and how and who, most have no answers, but simply state that they believe what they believe based solely on that talking point.

I have had many such conversations with students, adults in private settings, or on panels, radio and other forums. A lot of opinions it seems today are formed by sound bites and talking points alone. If it is repeated often enough, well, then it must be true, right?

As a Pastor I always recommend to my congregation and those that I come in contact with to find a balance and not to spent to many useless hours feeding on the worldly information stream. Jesus did after all teach: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32 KJV). As a believer I have found that minimizing my exposure to social media and the 24/7 news and information stream has become a healthy practice, as it becomes harder and harder to find truth within that worldly information stream. It is amazing how much time one can find when the television is turned off, and the cellphone is hidden away. What an amazing feeling it is to enjoy a moment of silence away from the information stream that is all around us. Our brains need some down time, we need some down time without constantly conecting ourselves through eyes and ears.

Turn off everything for a night, maybe even a week and pick up a good book. Read and let your life slow down a bit. It will make a big difference in how you feel. May I suggest you pick up the Bible again, the first book ever to be mass produced in print . After all, it is still the best selling book in the world today. It will provide to you information, eternal truth, that has stayed the same throughout time and all social change. In the Bible you can find stories of history, of personal victories and yes, even poetry. Only if we have something of a baseline, a standard of absolute truth, can we measure that which is presented to us on a daily basis. Without this standard, deception, manipulation and control have free rein and are free to enter our minds and hearts. The truth shall make you free!

Pastor Andreas Fischer