Did you see the movie, A Few Good Men? One of its more memorable scenes showed Jack Nicholson’s character screaming, “You can’t handle the truth.”

Is that behind our acceptance of even the most outrageous claims circling around social media today? Is it some kind of self-protective act or do we simply not care about the truth?

Truth or Dare

I recently read an article cautioning its readers against accepting the tidal wave of fake videos and stories gushing their way toward U.S. elections. And it’s not just American politics washing away the truth.

The article’s author stressed how important it was to seek the truth in elections. And isn’t that a monumental task? Instead of using our goldfish attention span, we should actually look beyond the latest click-bait headline or AI-generated photo or meme.

As a writer, I understand how difficult it is to verify what we read. I cannot tell you how many rabbit holes I have gone down to verify a statistic or quote. Too often, I abandoned the use of the information because I could never verify its source.

You would think the future for humans as well as our planet demands more than a passing glance. And that those who choose to lead would care more about the truth instead of being the source of so much deception. But what boggles my mind is why so many blindly follow.

• Why do so many instantly accept what they read or see?
• And why do so many not budge from their initial outcry – even when learning it’s fake?
• Do we hate so much we are blind to anything else?

Do we really not care about the truth? Or can we not handle the truth that lies inside?

Do we dare try?

What are your thoughts? Please share them in Comments.