I neither doubt nor question my complete reliance upon technology, an unfortunate state I have been lulled into progressively over the years. The last decade has been particularly detrimental to humankinds self-reliance, especially in the area of entertainment with all ages and variances becoming addicted to the all-consuming media force fed to our intellects day and night. All and everything is momentarily available at the touch of a key or the depression of a button, making the need for physical effort all but redundant. I recall with some amazement the need to walk or cycle the mile or so to my nearest library when I was young, in order to check any information or facts that was not immediately available in volumes withing our home. That all such reference material should one day be but a moments perusal away is still a matter of some amazement to me, a miracle to comprehend.
Unfortunately, as is always the case convenience instills laziness, in effort, and especially research, the first discovered reference often being considered unequivocally correct, without question, or contradiction. This equates to that tiny village library that was commonly transported in the interior of a motor vehicle, with one half of the books being entirely nonfiction, the other half made up of fictional tales, classical and modern. The informative volumes being limited, only one of each subject might be available. I soon learnt that this singular source was not necessarily the most trustworthy, and the short trip to the a larger library collection was always worthwhile for the surety of confirming verification.
Untrustworthy facts can be the ingredients of rumor, conspiracy theory, disinformation, propaganda. The ease of one key collation, and a lack of educated interpretation, is the source of much inept and misleading hearsay, muddying otherwise pristine waters, confusing the simplest of connections to that of the Gordian knot.
I was taught under no circumstances to believe everything I read or heard, but perhaps these are more trustworthy times.
Daily Abstract Thoughts 