I Cannot Tell A Lie

When George Washington was six years old, he received a hatchet as a gift and damaged his father’s cherry tree. When confronted by his angry father young George bravely stated, “I cannot tell a lie…”.

This story first appeared in John Weems’ biography The Life of Washington published in 1800, and as many of you know, it’s completely false. Although there were many other myths, exaggerations and embellishments in the book, the cherry tree became the most popular, and survives to this day.

Ironically, a cherry tree, which never existed, from a story that is entirely untrue, lives on in the American lexicon. In 1976 A very real poplar tree almost started a war, and that story, while true, is almost entirely unknown.

This poor tree had the distinction of being born on the Korean Peninsula, almost exactly on the 38th degree of latitude. It grew in an area which for over 50 years has been referred to as the demilitarized zone (DMZ). An ironic name given that no other area of the world has such a high concentration of military personnel and equipment with the North Korean Army, and the US/South Korean coalition facing directly at each other.

The poplar tree eventually grew to a size where it blocked the view across the DMZ. The US wanted to prune the tree to restore visibility. North Korea however was adamant that the tree be left alone. When the US sent soldiers to prune the tree anyways two were killed and nine more injured by the North Koreans. Luckily for us all, the US decided not to retaliate, and instead rove an armored convoy into the idle of the DMZ, surrounded the tree, and cut it down.

To say that tensions ran high during the cold war is a mammoth understatement. A non-descript poplar tree almost brought the world to its knees. For 50 years, the CIA was certain that an event just like that one would eventually spark the next global conflict. When conflict is inevitable, there is only one thing to do, try to stay one step ahead of your enemies. And in the department the CIA left no stone unturned in its search for new ways to gain an advantage over the Soviet Union.

The unconventional methods explored by the CIA included installing listening devices on cats to turn them into spy cats. Using black bears as test pilots. Boring a 2,500-mile-long tunnel under the arctic ice and recruiting and training those claiming to have gifts for ESP and mind reading.

Project Star Gate was headquartered at the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park California. Its designated purpose was to use ESP and psychokinesis for espionage. Its most famous participant was Uri Geller.

Geller came to fame during the 1960’s for his televised psychokinesis demonstrations. Describing hidden drawings, making watches stop, and most famously, spoon bending. The researchers at Stanford studied Geller for months. In the same facility where scientists were developing nuclear warheads and laser systems, Geller was demonstrating to scientists his ability to read minds. He worked with them to develop a training program to help others develop their gifts. For two decades congress poured money into programs designed to pioneer advances in remote viewing and mind reading. The brightest minds in America studies Geller and his gifts, determined to understand and weaponize them. Geller fooled them all.

Geller has no gifts for telepathy. He cannot practice ESP. He cannot remote view others. He is nothing more than an illusionist. A point that was proven during 22 of the most excruciatingly award minutes of television you can ever see.

In 1973 Geller was set to be a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Carson and his staff were show business veterans. They had seen every trick in the book (Carson himself was a magician). And they knew who to bring in to help prevent those tricks. James Randi was hired by the tonight show to “help prevent any trickery”; accordingly, the show prepared their own props without informing Geller, and would not allow Geller or his staff anywhere near them.

For 22 minutes Geller made excuses and roundabout explanations as to why he could not identify which of the ten aluminum cans in front of him was filled with water. He left the stage without even attempting. Geller himself after the show said, “I thought, that’s it – I’m destroyed” and was ready to head home to Tel Aviv.

Geller was not destroyed. He was immediately booked on The Merv Griffin Show. He became a paranormal superstar. He became a millionaire several times over, a movie star, and a pop culture sensation.

Confirmation bias describes our tendency as humans to cherry pick information that confirms our existing beliefs and viewpoints. In the 1970s the CIA was studying telepathy. Uri Geller had been researched by the smartest people in the world. Most people watching the show, already thought Geller was legitimate. When he failed, they simply thought, “it must be real then. If it was all an act, he would never get it wrong”.

Herd mentality is yet another weakness of the human mind that causes us to align our beliefs to those around us. The US government believed telepathy was real. You parent believed it was real. Your friends probably did to. So… it must be real right?

Those same biases are what cause us to believe things like George Washington chopping down a cherry tree. It’s the reason we think the great wall of china can be seen from space. It’s the reason we wait 30 minutes after swimming, and the reason people don’t let their kids eat sweets before bed. They are all myths. Myths which many around us believe. And myths we have heard since we were born.

Those biases are part of our brains for a reason. They operate as defense mechanisms. Stay in the herd and you are more likely to survive. Look for facts that agree with you so that you don’t have to confront the unknown.

10,000 years ago those biases may have helped you survive. In the modern world, they are far more likely to destroy you. They lead you into making poor investments, buying things you can’t afford, doing all you can to keep up with those around you.

Ask questions. Be skeptical. Trust logic.