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short stories

Unmasking the Illusion: The Perils of Misinformation and How to Navigate the Sea of Fake News

This post may seem ridiculous to some. However, I assure you that if you bear with me, you will understand why I am writing this. Furthermore, you may look at the information found on the internet in a whole new light.

To start with, I would like to say there is information for anything you wish to find out online. There is very good, somewhat reasonable, terrible, and downright horribly made-up information out there. All of this information comes to us on our devices, like the phones we carry around all day. The problem is that some of the younger generations take the information they find on the internet as absolute truth. All the information is there for the taking. All we have to do is look for it. But wait, didn’t someone have to put this information on a website in the first place? Have you ever asked yourself, “Maybe the person who wrote this is wrong,” or “Maybe they left some of the important information out of the text that you are reading?”

Let me put this as simply as I can. Not all the information online is true. In all actuality, if you pay attention, you will find that a great percentage of what you are reading is false! This is also the case in videos. Videos can be changed to show a certain outcome that is different from what actually happened. I’m not saying that all the information out there is false. As I stated before, there is a percentage of falsehood placed for you to read and watch.

Man looks at skeleton on a computer tablet
Don’t trust everything you see online

Information out there can be used to help us in many ways. On the same note, information out there can also cause us and others harm. We have to be careful when believing what we are reading and watching online, just as we do with television. In most cases, the ability to pull up information online is far worse than what we see on television. This is mainly because television is monitored closely, whereas the internet is not.

Here is an example of something that I know a lot about, and I could write it down for you and post it for you to read. I have done a fair amount of welding in the past, and now that I have spent quite a bit of time writing, telling you how to weld two pieces of metal together would be easy for me. However, if I were to leave out what tint of glass to use in your welding helmet, you could seriously hurt your eyes. Furthermore, if there was a typo in what tint to use, you could also hurt your eyes by following my directions. Would I do this on purpose? Of course not, but it could happen. This silly situation happens more often than you think. Typos happen. People leave out information to make their posts or videos fit into a certain time frame. Or the person writing a post or presenting a video may not find certain information necessary. It is possible they feel it is not worth mentioning certain things because, to them, it is common sense. However, to someone who has never tried what you are teaching, it may not be common sense at all. So, if you want to learn how to weld, you would be safer going to school for it or at least having a person who knows how to teach you in person, not on video. Is any of this sinking in yet?

Here is an example that we see every day: Two newscasters tell you what a politician is saying about what they stand for. One newscaster is liberal, and the other is conservative. The first question that you need to ask yourself is which side the politician is on. Is he or she a liberal or a conservative? This will make a huge difference in how the reporters tell you what is going on. If he or she is a conservative and you are listening to a liberal reporter, then you will get a variable difference than if you listen to the conservative reporter. And this works on both sides. Are the reporters changing the story? Probably not, but there will be a bias from one side to the other. When reporting, using certain words or stressing certain words can manipulate the audience of the newscast. This paragraph got your attention, didn’t it?

So what do we do with the information we are receiving from the internet to fix this issue? The best you can do is look up multiple sites on the subject you want to know about and find the variations. From there, we must use our own intelligence and some common sense to decide which we want to believe. This, of course, takes more time than just believing the first thing you read or hear. However, you will find that you will become educated and successful if you take this extra time.

Here is a small test that you can use to see if my argument holds water or not. Look up which breed of dog is best to own as a family dog. I have my favorites, and you have yours, but which breed is best? When you look it up, you will find my favorites, your favorites, and many others. Why is this? The answer is simple. Everyone has their own opinion on the subject, so you will find article after article about different breeds. This will hold true on any subject that you look up online, all because everyone wants their opinions heard and believes their opinions are the right ones. Are you going to run with the first article you read or do a little searching before you bring that dog into your home to live with your family? I hope you do some research first.

Lady (Ai) shown in computer screen
Artificial intelligence pulls information from the internet that was first put there by humans.

One last thought for you about the internet AI (artificial intelligence) is being used more and more to write information. These posts written by AI can be helpful, but they can also be misleading. Be very careful when reading AI scripts.

On that note, I will leave you to ponder what I have said. Please don’t take my word for it. Look up other opinions on the internet, and I hope you come back to my post on this subject as the one to believe. Well, I have to go now. I am working on my fiction writing on my other website (csi-extras.com). If you wish to read some of my fiction stories, I suggest you go take a look. This website (readcsi.com) is strictly for my and my guests opinions to help you in society. Take care, and remember, we are all in this together.

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short stories

Make time for Needful things

       In today’s world, we are in such a rush that we are forgetting the most important things in life. We hurry to work, eat fast food, while time for family and friends are laid to the wayside. Is this what life is all about in society today? It sure seems that way, but is this a healthy way to live? The answer to this question would be a resounding no. If we don’t find time for the needful things in life, then what kind of life are we really living? This answer would add up to be a very empty life indeed.

Small girl sitting with a smile

       All the money in the world won’t be near as precious a gift as a smile from your child. A child’s smile is more than enough reason to find the needed time for family and friends. How many people live their whole lives working and look back from an old age, knowing they have waited a lifetime? This is such a sad existence and one that should never be lived in the first place. Did you take care of your family with all the work you did? Of course, you did, but how many birthdays did you miss because you got called into work, and you took it upon yourself to answer the phone?

       It is true that working hard for your family is very honorable, but what did you miss because of work? Don’t get me wrong, I respect a hard worker, and I’m sure your family does as well. The thing I’m talking about is the downtime to enjoy your family and friends. Do you find yourself spending all spare time in front of the television or reading all about the bad stuff happening in your newspaper? When was the last time you spent free time teaching your daughter to fly a kite? Maybe it’s something even of a shorter time, like explaining a math problem or teaching your child how to bake a cake. The key is to find time when it seems like there isn’t any to spare. If you can’t spare it now, then when?

        Using your free time wisely is extremely important! Some of this time must be used for relaxation of the mind, other parts need to be used for connecting with loved ones and friends. If you don’t find time for others, why would they find time for you later? Many people grow old alone because they didn’t have time for others earlier in life. Don’t set your life’s goals only upon working that nine to five job. Finding the downtime away from work leads to a much healthier and happier life for you as well as those around you. Why wait until that one-week vacation to find out who is important to you.

Old man sitting alone reading a book

      We live our lives sitting on a time bomb! What I mean by this is, we never know when our time is up. Some die at a very young age, while others live to be very old. Are you going to lay odds that you will have time to enjoy life later? How old will you live to be? More importantly, how long will your family and friends live to be? Will they still be around when you decide it is time to get to know them better? Furthermore, will they be willing to give you the time of day after so many years of being ignored?

     I understand, in this day and age, it is hard to make a living for your family and many friendships may be put aside because of the stresses you have to deal with every day. I also understand how important it is for us to have friends and family in our lives in a social environment.

Dog getting a pat on the head by his owner

      Let’s think of a dog for a moment. Your pet dog is a great pet because they are always happy to see you! You could leave the house and be gone ten minutes. When you return, your dog is so happy to see you that he can hardly stand still. As long as you give your dog a pat on the head or a quick scrub on the belly, your dog is happy. He is always looking for another way to get that pat or scrub. Why do we call dogs man best friend? Because they are forgiving and ready to please you anytime day or night. Now, people are very different in this nature. People have to be reminded that they are loved and needed. If you go long enough without reminding them of this love and need, they will forget and look for another place to receive these things. Dogs are loyal to their owners, but people are their own owners and only loyal to those that show loyalty to them. Are you willing to pass a time to show your family and friends your loyalty? How long do they have to wait on you? Besides, your dog tends to get more attention from you than your family and friends, even if it is only a pat on the head. This is very sad if you think about it.

       When your children were younger, do you remember how excited they were to see you, even if you had been gone only a short time? As you become too busy to spend time with them, are they still as excited or are you now just someone that lives under the same roof? There was a time when you would call your friend, and they were excited to come over for dinner. Now, when you call, they seem to have other things planned. Do you feel any of this happening in your life? If so, then it’s time to find time for others, even if it’s just a few minutes to let them know you care. Make the connection today, or live to wander later when you are alone.

Father and children holding hands and playing

       One final note, and I will let you consider if my words hold truth for you. If you don’t want to grow old alone, I suggest you take this post to heart, and do so today. Don’t wait until it is too late. Remember, people are different from dogs, besides most of us outlive our dogs. Show a need and love for your family and friends today. Tomorrow may be too late. Take care, God bless and remember, we are all in this together.