76. Open Questions

You are aware, intelligent, savvy. You know the things you hear are not always true. Countless narratives are being spun around you. Powerful interests are trying to influence outcomes. Systems and institutions are working to preserve the status quo and themselves. People are continuously interpreting reality and each of these interpretations is biased. Sometimes these biases veer far from anything that could be called truth.

You know all of this, but if you happen to forget, the absurd media that ceaselessly attacks your senses will quickly remind you. You’re not going to fall for any lies. You examine everything you hear carefully, disregarding what is obviously false and investigating what you don’t yet understand. Sometimes people try to convince you of the truth of their particular narrative. You listen politely, but you always go your own way.

No one is going to convince you of anything by giving you an argument for it. You might discover you’re wrong about something, but it’ll happen on your own schedule. It’ll happen because you’re skeptical of your own beliefs, you ask yourself questions, and you’re open to changing your mind. It feels good when you realize a belief you thought was true is actually false. It feels good because it means you’re now a bit closer to the truth.

You look at everything critically, including what you’re told by those who are closest to you. Even the ones you love. Determining the truth is your job, and it cannot be outsourced to anyone. You’re the one who has to figure out what’s right and what’s wrong. And you do it by keeping yourself open to yet another question, yet another occasion for reflection.

In the end, it’s the questions that matter. A question that stays open is always better than an answer that closes your eyes. You need your eyes open so that you can see more, so that you can become more aware. After all, it’s when you’re aware that you understand what’s really going on. And when you understand what’s going on, you can also see what you need to do.