We humans
have a very bad habit of assuming our opinions are facts. It seems a strange
thing to do, but we do it nevertheless, and, once they’re formed, we will
defend our opinions ‘til the end of the world, often regardless of other
information.
The fact
that a man lies dead in his bed is indisputable. Yet, with no other information
than that single sentence, you just formed an opinion about the cause of his
death. If you readers were to express those opinions to each other, there’s a good
chance you would end up arguing about it. Some would say the man died of
natural causes, comfortably in his bed. Others would say he was murdered. Some
might even posit that an accident occurred where he slipped and bumped his head
on the side of the bed.
A few more
facts would only fuel the argument. The dead man is splayed on the bed, face
down. It can be argued that this is how he sleeps, possibly tossing and
turning. Of course, it could also be that he was killed, and that’s how he
landed – or perhaps he was smothered. The splayed position also works for
someone who has fallen.
A glass of
some clear liquid lies spilled on the floor beside the bed. That may sway some
of those who believe that this was a natural death to the side of the
murder-believers, but the staunchest supporters will insist that he could have
knocked it off the bedside table as he slept. On the other hand, it could be
poisoned. Is it even water? Perhaps the man had been drinking, which led to
that fateful bump on the head.
Facts are
points of information, but what they mean is so often opinion. This is evident
in the scientific process – when an experiment is designed, it is done with the
intent of proving a specific theory – which means that there is already an opinion
about what the results will reveal. If there is any room for interpretation in
those results, what do you think the findings will be?
The more we
discover, the more humans become aware of this discrepancy. It has led many to
believe that there is no such thing as reality – that facts are only there to
support reality. This has led to all kinds of confusion and even beliefs that
the facts, themselves, may be changed to suit one’s needs.
However,
there obviously is only one reality (the one I believe in, of course),
otherwise we wouldn’t be able to interact in it. The real trouble comes from
the facts – or, rather, either the lack of facts, or the way the facts are
presented. For there is far too much information in the world for one person to
discover on their own, and the only way to get a sufficient amount of facts is
through someone else’s opinion.
That means
we are required to trust someone else’s opinion in order to gain the
information we require. That seems reasonable enough – only, why would you
trust the opinions of someone who has a different opinion than you?
So, the
facts are that a man lies dead on his bed. He’s splayed face-down, and there’s
a spilled glass of a clear liquid on the floor. There’s also a red silk scarf
wrapped around his neck. How did he die?
Check out my YouTube channel where I tell the stories of my D&D campaigns.
Also, make sure you check out my wife's blog and her website.
If there's any subject you'd like to see me ramble on about, feel free to leave a comment asking me to do so.
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