The solution to misinformation is not to rely on the authorities to better control information fed to me.

“Stop pushing fake news!” 

The solution is for me to become a better truth tester

What if we had mental tools for thinking about how true something is?

A simple job interview we can hold for any new incoming information wanting to apply for a position in our truth room. A rating to measure the truth weight of news stories.

• Truth Rating

• Truth Room

• Truth Matrix

• Truth Switch

“oof, 35, gonna file that under ‘maybeee’ for now”

Facts, Beliefs, Opinions, Ideas. Here are some of my attempts.…

Truth Rating

I use a range of truth for the rating scale. As I receive more evidence or experience I become more sure that something is true. Most truth is not on/off. Most truth is actually along a range.

The majority of ideas that I feel are ‘true’ are above 75. I'll call this my truth range. I’m pretty sure the Big Bang happened but since I don’t understand the complex math to really prove it I can’t put it at a 95. 87 feels right. Snuggly inside the truth range. At least for now…

As we rise we get closer to TRUE

Besides math or perhaps enlightenment, nothing can be a 100. Absolute objective truth is beyond the capabilities of my experience as a human. Perhaps enlightenment is a personal direct experience with 100 truth.

Here are my ratings for myself on a few items. Please forgive how badly these might be explained. I feel like some of this is just word vomit that shouldn't be shared. Unresearched opinions. But, perhaps sharing my inside workings can help sense out how the truth rating works.

100 - 2+2 = 4

99 - I have 5 fingers on each hand

I could read articles and watch many videos ‘proving’ that I don’t have 5 fingers. Perhaps the case is made that they’re actually technically just small tongues but this would not change my experience of looking at my hands and seeing 5 separate small limbs on each hand that I call ‘fingers’.

Even if it’s all a simulation, I believe that would not change my direct experience. Beyond some philosophical musings I don’t see this one getting lower.

92 - Green smoothies are good for my health

They seem to increase my health and vitality. I’ve been drinking a green smoothie almost daily for ~15 years. I can tell when I don’t have one for a few days that my body is missing something. I’ve gone through periods without a green smoothie and felt the difference. TESTED. I

feel better when drinking green smoothies. There is still a chance that over very long time periods I may be building up some toxicity I’m not aware of so I surely can’t give it a 99.

90 - My dog likes me

Maybe she actually is just using survival tactics to display that she likes me in order to keep getting food. I don’t know her inner experience so this is a possibility. However, for all the evidence I have, I believe she really does like me. 

87 - The Earth is round. It is a sphere, just like the moon and other celestial objects.

I don’t have direct first-hand experience here but it seems very true and if we act like it is true it seems to work well enough to get us around. This would be higher if I knew more about the science of how to measure it or if I went into orbit and saw it directly. 

83 - The pandemic was used by politicians and profit-seeking companies to enhance their power and profits in a way that harmed many people

75 - We enter the Truth Range.

Anything above this might be that which can be acted upon as true and reality will match enough so it works out alright. 

Maybe this can be thought of as a truth thermostat. Above 72 and it’s warm, 90 is fire!

72 - The Earth is a conscious living being

Among reading books that layout the ‘Earth is a living being’ theory I have personal experiences that confirm this for me and I admit it feels like I am using faith to raise this one higher and I might even have a desire for this to be true which is very bias. More on this in a future article.  

65 - Jesus was a real person

I wasn’t alive when Jesus supposedly roamed the streets but I believe based on everything I’ve learned of him from different sources he was very likely a real historical figure. 

45 - AI will help us usher in a new age of planetary thriving

Yes and no. I can argue for why it can (solving intractable problems, ushering in new scientific discoveries for real free energy...) but the way the tech industry is haphazardly rolling out AI art (not compensating artists who’s images were used to train the neural networks) has moved this lower.

35 - There are more than 2 genders

Are there? I know extremely little about this topic so I definitely can’t place this very high nor do I feel it should be 0 until further research. It seems worthy of questioning. 

Maybe it's a nuance thing like with the fingers actually being tongues - recategorization. Or are folks saying the 2 polarities (masculine-feminine) don't exist? Polarities seem very objective in our Universe. Light/Dark, Hot/Cold…Male/Female. 

Poking at fixed “knowings” is a good practice. Even if it’s stuff we KNOW.

Perhaps the case is being made that gender is more like a spectrum and people can exist at different parts along the spectrum of male-female.That feels like it could make sense. But the polarities would still be there. Hmmm I need to know more before I can raise or lower this. 

We have changed many things over the centuries - we used to think the Earth was the center of the solar system and that was a big change. Scientific truths have a history of changing over time, maybe this is an area for new interpretations? Or perhaps not. 

I need to do more research to move this one higher/lower. 

22 - The last US election was rigged

If most elections have been rigged then this is nothing special. Are people claiming this one was special compared to most previously rigged ones? What constitutes as 'rigging'?  

It seems there are many people saying it was rigged and many not. In my experience this tells me there is at least a crumb of truth. Maybe it’s an entire loaf. I don’t actually know as I haven’t done any signifcant research here beyond reading a few brief articles and headlines. I definitely would not mark this one TRUE yet. To change this rating I need to know more.

20 - Chemtrails are real

I know very little here but last year a very reliable author I respect alluded to chemtrails at least being worthy of more investigation. This made me raise it higher.

Bias Bias Bias

I have what feels like built-in biases. Social proof is one.  As more people say something is true I sense my brain automatically raises iit on the truth scale - even without testing and research.

Our digital age puts me in a precarious position. It opens the door for anything that gets enough headlines to rise on the truth scale. 

I cannot rely on outside authorities to feed me truth. I must become a better truth tester myself. 

What helps something move higher on the truth scale? 

What do I need before moving something into my truth range?

Direct first-hand experience. 

Trustable sources. Places I’ve gotten information before that turned out to be true. 

Low-emotionality in the information. 

And more...

Truth Weather

Perhaps our truth settings are more like weather that shifts and flows as we go about our daily lives. Some are more volatile than others. “I have 10 fingers” barely changes but political/social things can fluctuate wildly in truth temperature on a weekly basis. 

Some of my ratings here will vary wildly from yours. 

And that's fine. We’re all learning and we all have different truth weather. 

This brings us to our next tool in the hunt for truth...

Truth Room

The truth room is a sacred space. An inner temple to truth. The truth temple. We don’t just allow any random characters to come in and redecorate the place. Ideally only the most prime ideas and information are allowed in this sacred room. 

Many ideas want in here. Only let in the very shining best. 

What if held a thorough interview for each new applicant?

Hello Chemtrails theory. How long have you been around? Who do you know that I know? Do you have any high quality references? Do people speak about you with emotionally charged language? What are some good arguments FOR your validity? AGAINST? Why should you be allowed in the truth room? What are reasons you should not be allowed in? Got any spicy takes?

Don’t usher a new applicant into the truth room without a thorough background check

Expecting me to believe chemtrails are true right away is like asking me to usher an applicant past the line and skip the interview process. Besides, what is the claim being made? All trails behind planes are chemtrails? Some are but not all? I actually don’t know as I haven’t started an application process on this subject yet. 

I recently encountered a previously trusted source saying that private companies in multiple countries are performing geo-engineering. This moved my chemtrail rating from a 15 to 20. If that is possible then likely ‘some weird things are happening in the sky’ and it gives chemtrails a higher possibility of being true.

Hold the truth gently.

Truth Matrix

The Maybe zone is key here. We are used to just having True/False. Our evolution invites us to take in more complex information as we push our sensemaking abilities to new levels. Nuance sprouts up all around us in these new lands. Before filing a new fact under True or False let it simmer in the Maybe zone for a season. 

Use the Maybe Zone to your advantage

Truth Switch

We’ve all gotten pretty switch happy. It’s gotten harder and harder not to flip it. Thanks to social media and our increasing time spent online our instant gratification muscles have atrophied. Flip the switch and you get a hit of that feel good. Damn, it feels good to be right. Be very careful before you flip the truth switch. 

Don’t just read a headline and flip the truth switch. 

“Pluto is still a planet to me”

“I absolutely know masks ARE helpful because I AM a good person.” 

To challenge mask wearing is to challenge their identity and their morality.  

Maybe it’s true masks actually are helpful and it does reflect your good morality to wear one. 

Maybe not...

Truth Crisis

I wrote this article because I believe we are living in a truth crisis.

Another year. The crisis continues. 

Fake fake news. Dopa-mined thumbnails. Deep Tom Cruise dances. AI is here. Deep fakes are rising up from the depths soon to take a their first breath. Video counts as evidence..for now. 

How do you think about truth? Do you have any mental models for testing new truths? What did I get wrong here? What is begging for pruning or drastic weeding?

Wishing you blessings,

~Sinjun

*My truth rating for this article - 82. I think an older version of myself might read this and notice glaring errors. Much might change, but overall there is probably a simple way to think about how true we think something is. 

**Some images we’re created with the help of an AI art generator. I am aware of the ethical discrepancy of using AI art while at the same time having issue with it’s training.

Right now I am exploring using it as a tool in my creative suite, using it to tell better stories or enhance my idea visualization - not to sell off as my own artworks without modifying and adding my own flavor. Maybe this is very sus. Maybe it’s fine just like using photoshop as a tool. Something I am exploring now and perhaps to explore in a future article.