The allegation of “Fake News” is a false flag. Its primary intention is to disorient you from the truth, driving you away from the trusted, reliable sources of information that have built reputations for truth-telling over centuries.
Telling the truth is timeless. It is an anchor in uncertain times and, more often than not, is enduring.
History, philosophy and science are all grounded in fact. Weather changes, regimes fall and ideas evolve, but truth remains anchored in the core of existence as we know it. In fact, most of our enduring institutions—not just in the United States, but worldwide—exist to seek, know, and push the boundaries of truth.
For example, medical knowledge at the turn of the century was limited by what researchers and physicians knew at the time. If you were in your right mind, you would never want to be treated by a doctor whose practice was frozen in the knowledge of that era.
I never want a “vintage” doctor. Instead, I welcome those physicians so young that I have to ask, “Are you sure you’re old enough to be a doctor?”
In many ways, those newly minted physicians are exactly what we need—provided they are joined by older physicians who take their work seriously, continuing to read, learn and grow in their expertise.
Ever-Learning
I remember a lunch I arranged with my department dean after I received my Master’s in family psychology and my LPC license. I wanted to ask him about some new information I had encountered and verify it with an authority. As we ate, I pulled out a book and shared what I had read.
He looked at me and asked, “You read this?” When I told him I had and asked if the information surprised him, he replied, “No, I am surprised you are still reading and learning.” Apparently, from his perspective, once students obtained their licenses, they stopped learning.
This is to say that so many people today have quit learning, reading, and exploring. They have decided they already know enough. When that happens, they become easy targets for those who appeal to their limited curiosity with “new information” of their own making.
Today, the worst offender of such hucksterism is the Felon King.
If you continue to follow him, have you ever asked yourself why you trust him while disregarding everyone else? Why do you believe him and his inner circle, dismissing others even when he has been proven wrong time and again? Why does he continue to label anything that disagrees with his narrative as “fake news”?
False Realities
From 2008 to 2014, I supervised the mental health department at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit, a maximum-security prison housing Death Row outside of Livingston, Texas. Some of the men housed there were seriously mentally ill. Texas, then and now, often finds prison a more convenient solution for the mentally ill than community resources.
While some of these men were dangerous, most of our caseload was not. However, our state government decided $30,000 per offender was a better investment in incarceration than in community care.
Not everyone in our population was severely mentally ill, but I found the work fascinating. In a routine private practice, I would never have encountered or treated these men.
Two categories were particularly troubling: those prone to bouts of psychosis and those plagued by delusional thinking. These men could be entirely untethered from reality.
In their world, during those episodes, everything I suggested was “fake” because it contradicted the elaborate, delusional reality their minds had constructed. Attempting to talk them out of their “reality” was futile. For those off their medication, their reality—no matter how bizarre—was the only thing they trusted.
Your Eyes Don’t Lie
Coming away from that world and back into the “real” world, I can tell you with professional certainty: Allegations of “fake news” and “false flags” are generally just fake and false. Having lived for 76 years, I know we can trust what we see, smell, and taste. Those who chronically tell us that what we are hearing is “fake” are not leading us toward the truth, but away from it.
If you see your grocery bill is rising and the price of gasoline is higher at the pump, it is because they are. If you notice more restaurants and chains sliding into bankruptcy, it is because they are. Trust your eyes, your hearing and your sense of smell.
If it smells fishy, it most likely is.
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A private practice counselor working with veterans and survivors of trauma. Previously, Chancellor served four churches in Texas for 33 years, then ran a Mental Health Department of Alan B. Polunsky Maximum Security prison which houses death row.