Idle Thoughts, Revelations, and Delusions of Grandeur: Redundant Ramblings from the Crypt

Foreward

Following the recent Mueller hearings (07/24/19) and the painfully flawed rhetoric of this nation’s Commander in Chief following the day’s discussions, it would seem appropriate that a few essays written and published over the past year are once again timely. While I recognize few will read them, those that do should gain an appreciation for the methods of obtaining the truth, regardless of the ebb and neap tide of what often flows as flawed public opinions, distorted news presentations, partial truths often inaccurately extracted out of context, and outright lies.

 Listening to the President was both astonishingly sad, but also profoundly revealing. I think informed folks need to take away a few critical conclusions from both the oral questioning and the formal written report (https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/videos/367460497261477/UzpfSTEwMDAwMDAyMDA2ODk1ODoyNzEyNDc4NTc4NzYyNzg0/ and https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/18/politics/full-mueller-report-pdf/index.html). This of course presumes folks have actually read the nearly 450 pages and possess the ability to understand what it summarizes as well as what Robert Mueller formally stated under oath.  

One should also recognize the obvious contrast in these two individuals; the President of the United States and a man who has dedicated his life and career to the letter of the law. Enough has been written of this President, his character, moral, professional, and social ineptitude so I will not continue to illuminate what he seems more than qualified to assert by his own outpourings of tweets, incoherent rambling, and outright lies. Understand, however, Robert Mueller is a decorated, honorably discharged Vietnam War veteran who has spent a career litigating and defending this country’s Constitution as an honorable man of impeccable ethical and moral foundations and measured integrity that has been his signature staple of conduct. He enjoys overwhelming support from his colleagues from both side of the political spectrum, former veterans, and anyone who has an ounce of ability to evaluate on the basis of sound tempered, prudent judgment.

Source Credibility

Information transport methods have ranged from the most primitive forms such as rock symbols and pictorial expressions, smoke signals, carrier pigeons, stories transmitted by tribal discussions to the delivery of news by ship, horse (pony express), telegraph, train, plane, telephone, cable, computer, smart phone, network pads, wireless technology, and satellite communication. There was a time during the incipient stage of this country’s development when news was effectively communicated by word of mouth, town hall meetings, by written pamphlets, and through printed newspapers. It follows; the transfer of information has evolved from a very slow and often repetitive exchange of knowledge, to near real time sharing of our most recent thoughts and discoveries in seconds.

While the time lag was often longer than the near real time contemporary technology of the Internet and electronic data transfer mechanisms currently employed, people were still well informed on issues concerning their lives. Secrets were more difficult to keep in part because people communicated openly and were inclined to interact face to face with each other. Now we tend to operate from on-line social media and behind closed doors with ad hoc committees on committees that privatize and place restrictions on final reports and documents often erroneously citing national security issues as a defense to block public disclosures. The people’s business is too often hidden from the general public by a congress more fixated on getting elected rather than writing efficient bills, presenting credible legislature, enacting laws for the benefit of all citizens, and generally serving the people that they were elected to represent?

We are currently living at a time when leadership in this country often deceives, distorts, and outright lies about practically anything that comes to mind. An astonishing one-third of the population seem to accept this aberrant behavior as normal. I can recall attending a lecture in the military titled, Rumors and Propaganda in which the bottom line was to verify all information by gathering a preponderance of facts and truths before concluding. Having spent over 40 years writing essays and publishing in peer reviewed journals and books in higher education, I take a profoundly exuberant and responsible position for establishing credibility in what is written and stated both in my own work and by anyone’s work that I choose to read. This is especially imperative when establishing source credibility from the news media, folks in positions of disseminating information, and particularly this country’s leadership. My experience making presentations, writing and editing for peer reviewed journals and books has taught me to be critical in reviewing, evaluating and reporting content, paying attention to details when organizing oral and written work, establishing careful accurate summaries, explaining the relevance and timeliness of the work, clearly outlining the purpose, communicating with sincere objectivity, and removing as much bias as possible.

Evaluating communication to determine whether it is accepted as an accurate truth begins with whether the communicating source (news broadcaster, a person in a position of leadership, or published written documents) is believable. One method of assessing this quandary is by measuring a source’s credibility. Source credibility is impacted by one’s perception of trustworthiness (Is a source of information honest, fair, unselfish, caring?), expertise (Is the source writer/speaker experienced, qualified, intelligent, skilled?), professional credentials (Does the source writer/speaker possess experience within a particular academic discipline, level of formal education, awards, honors), reliability (Is the writer/speaker dependable, consistent in one’s actions, accurate in measurements), integrity (Does a writer/speaker possess moral fortitude, probity, rectitude, honor, ethics, righteousness, decency, a sense of sincerity and mutual respect for everyone?), and a quality of believability (truth) based upon these traits. Reliable written information is best accepted when it is unbiased in content, published in peer reviewed professional journals, and defended with supporting evidence derived from controlled measurements, and well referenced with credible resources. Resources can be evaluated by the depth and detail expressed within a discussion, objectivity, currency, authority, and purpose. Oral discourse should also be evaluated based on the same criteria. Oral presentations should also be held to the same standards of best practices.

As an aside, charisma (people that possess attractiveness, are well-composed, and sociable) often enters into one’s assessment of credibility, but a well-dressed, smiling face does not always equate to a credible individual, especially when they are caught asserting deceptions, partial truths, and lies. Credibility can be a nebulous judgment (objective and subjective) made by an audience often predicated on believability that is based more on perception and likability than on defensible facts that should actually be the foundation to inspire belief.

Becoming a Critical Thinker

A learned, educated population, and by extension a healthy, functionally informed society, is one that possesses the resourcefulness to systematically acquire information necessary to make well-thought out decisions and come to conclusions based upon facts and truths. Learning is actually a combination of innate and formally taught skills that enable a person to acquire information (factual and conceptual) and to develop knowledge (understanding) necessary for leading a productive life. Formal classroom education and learning are not mutually exclusive! Learning begins when a person develops a sense of curiosity for the world. This is initiated by one or more of our sensory observations (sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch), and matures through a lifetime of experiences. Questions are spawned, raw data is collected, sorted, organized, analyzed, and when rendered as defensible credible truths by a jury of peer reviews, the information becomes a body of useful written documents and oral records. An analysis results in understanding, which by extension becomes useful knowledge. Knowledge aids in decision support, problem solving, and ultimately an enhanced appreciation for the affairs of the world.

These steps from curiosity to crafting questions to a systematic process of inquiry should form the foundation for a lifetime pursuit of knowledge and by extension, understanding for the affairs of the world. Formal education should reinforce this process through a rich variety of learning experiences, but it is not the sole means for becoming an informed and successful citizenry.

Educated and informed people need to be able to effectively develop, manipulate, analyze, and express their thoughts, ideas, and beliefs through a mastery of multiple forms of communication. These include: 1. An ability to write well-crafted expressions that exhibit a coherent sense of understanding and analytical thought with proper transition between themes; 2. An ability to vocally express oneself in a manner that exudes a clear and purposeful discourse for oral communication; 3. An ability to visualize, interpret, analyze, and ultimately understand spatial relationships as applicable to the cultural, social/societal, and physical processes operating throughout the world; 4. An ability to set up, solve, and explain numerical statements (equations) that illustrate an understanding for quantitative issues, including statistical analysis. These forms of communication are generally referred to as exhibiting literate, articulate, graphical, and numerical competence. While literate people are typically those who can read and write; functionally literate people can demonstrate all forms of communication on a variety of subjects through intelligent, analytical processing of factual information, and abstract reasoning which will render them competently informed citizens.

Literacy is a means by which our thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and other mental abstractions are developed, manipulated, analyzed, and ultimately communicated through oral and written language. Educated and learned people read to understand and write to be understood. Writing may be thought of as a form of expression that seeks to clearly document and communicate what one cannot adequately vocalize. When we write, we discover connections in thought, raise questions, describe processes, express understanding, find answers, and ultimately develop conclusions. The clarity of writing involves an intimate relationship between what a writer intends to convey through inner thoughts, and by extension, to what the reader interprets. We write to enhance a higher order of understanding; to express abstract thoughts, ideas, and factual information which should serve to effectively communicate, and ultimately develop a more functionally literate citizenry.

One of the salient goals of literacy is to develop skills that will ensure an entire population of citizens are able to work through and comprehend documented material; and that they can demonstrate competency through written and oral expressions of factual content including a command for concepts, principles, and terminology. Terminology, like the threads that when woven together form a fabric, can be combined as an assemblage of statements, sentences, paragraphs, and essays fused in language to express thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. Language may be further developed, manipulated, analyzed, and expressed to convey meaning and understanding. Literacy and a mastery of terminology are intimately connected. Comprehension (Heber’s model) begins as a literal reading of the words and lines of text. This is followed by interpretation which may be described as reading between the lines. Comprehension (complete understanding) solidifies when one reads beyond the lines.

Critical Thinking

One of the most significant behaviors of humans and that which distinguishes the species from all other animals is in the ability to record thoughts, ideas, beliefs, and other abstractions through written language and symbols (graphical and quantitative). Writing is an expression of the internal voice represented as opinions and personal commentary. Writing is a constant search for what one has to say. People write to be understood. The action begins with a search and ends with discovery. Writing is thinking put down on paper, discovering connections, describing processes, expressing understanding, raising questions, finding answers, and conclusions. Writing enhances higher order, abstract thought and leads to more coherent thinking and speaking. When one writes, it becomes a permanent record of the events summarized at an instance in time.

A writer must identify a theme or central thesis to address that is ultimately written (described) with a clarity that will enable a reader to accurately interpret. The approach to reaching this goal may be stated as a process of comprehension strategies. We generally begin a quest to learn when the basic questions who, what, where, why, when, or how are addressed. Questions that are predictive promote curiosity and include: What will we learn from this work? How may what is learned be used in the future? Other questions address clarification such as: What do we need to know? Why is it important? How, where, and under what circumstances is the information used? The final questions asked are summary in nature and include: What was learned? How or what processes enabled an understanding for the piece? Why is the written work important?

An analysis of any written work generally requires an ability to understand terminology followed by addressing progressively higher-level questions. One usually begins with identifying and looking up any words that are not understood. If the language is ambiguous, the context of a discussion can be misinterpreted or ultimately rendered unintelligible. Once the terminology is mastered, the more interesting analytical questions can be brought to life. These include: Is there information that conflicts with what one already knows to be true? Are there any ideas presented that do not fit well together, are contradictory, or that are unrelated that may lead to confusion and an inability to understand the central thesis? Is there a gap in the information that requires fulfillment in order to bring clarity to the discussion?

Reading requires an ability to assemble a mental map delineating the nature of thought. When one learns to read, they develop the mental skills necessary to reflect, analyze, predict, judge, infer, and learn. It follows literacy is attained when one has developed an ability to assimilate terminology into coherent sentences combined into thematic paragraphs that address a central thesis. The dichotomy of literacy is in the expression of the written language and the ability to interpret and attach meaning, value, and understanding for what is being written.

Bigots, Detractors, Liars and a Search for the Truth

People typically only listen to what they want to hear, and believe only what they want to believe. It follows many people really do not want to hear anything that is not in keeping with their preconceived ideas and opinions. In short, they may not be interested in the truth, rather only what conforms to what they believe is the truth. There is the perceived truth as accepted by a society or group which may only be based upon public opinion, yet it may not be the real truth based upon accurate facts. So, is there a difference between what one wants to believe as true from what is actually true? Perhaps we should ask the former convicts that were sentenced to prison and have since been proven innocent. Maybe each of us needs to experience what it is like to live in a third world emerging country, and investigate the truth in the manner in which they actually live, rather than solidify our thoughts based upon what some media producer dictates?  In short, it becomes a means of discovering the real truth based upon well documented, factual information.

Simply listening to a news cast as a single resource to obtain one’s understanding for truth limits the full scope of information both available and often necessary to make a well-informed decision on an issue. A well-trained investigator will formulate an understanding for accurate and well- defended truths by examining many available resources documented and peer reviewed by experts with established credibility for reporting the truth. When a preponderance of data is examined and conclusions are drawn by a large majority of credible investigators, the veracity of an argument is more firmly defended and ultimately accepted. This does not always suggest that a majority population is correct in their conclusions since a search for the truth should always be an ongoing process with additional updated information constantly brought to light.

If one is really interested in becoming well informed, then the truth in reporting of these news outlets should be evaluated. Do they report accurate and thorough news coverage in keeping with the original intent discussed in the first amendment of the Constitution; or are they principally in business just to make money? Each of these media outlets has a general format that they follow, and if you were to compare them, you would find the stories they report often cover the same thematic content. The problem is you are typically only getting brief sound bits of an interview, opinions by broadcasters and commentators that are mostly reading off a teleprompter, or the facts have been synthesized and watered down to fit within a limited time line. The details are not fully reported on local television networks, and even satellite and cable stations are limited in the scope of their discussions. While it is true more esoteric programs such as Meet the Press, National Public Radio, Public broadcasting stations, Face the Nation, and Washington Week provide a more comprehensive review of weekly events, they often tend to have panel members that take a rather weighted opinion of issues, thus one should view and listen to the arguments with a critical ear.

We all have a personal bias when it comes to information we gather from the media; and people will tend to gravitate to a news source that provides them with the most convenient and satisfying coverage. My concern is in whether people still possess an ability and desire to sort through the political horse biscuits, sound bites, and intellectual masturbation that is often projected by these ‘expert’ commentators and political prognosticators who saturate the airways. Do people derive a full measure of facts necessary to formulate a well-informed opinion on an issue, or are they resigned to be spoon fed morsels of information leading them to the conclusions directed by the media mongrels controlling the broadcasts?

If you are really interested in becoming a well-informed citizen in the know, rather than viewing your life with blinders, or in ignorant bliss, then you will have to develop the initiative to seek information through alternative means. You will have to return to a behavior that was inculcated throughout your formative years in school. Relearn to question the veracity, integrity, intent, credibility, and thoroughness of the information you are receiving. Instead of just listening to a news broadcast, supplement this with your ability to gather supporting and refuting information through the written literature. Rediscover the unlimited power you have in becoming knowledgeable through reading an infinite collection of written works. You have a virtual library at your fingertips through the Internet. Visit a public library, check out a book, visit a book store, and become your own research instrument. The more you read, the more you will begin to assemble the tools for gathering consistent, well documented, thoroughly researched, credible, and accurate information that will open your eyes to a broader, more clearly viewed dynamic world.

Professional educators have a responsibility to passionately inculcate their respective discipline – to inform, instruct, encourage, facilitate, and mentor students by promoting a curiosity for knowledge. By extension, a learning environment should foster open communication and artistic expression among individuals willing to exchange their thoughts, ideas, goals, strategies, and plans that will ultimately serve to enrich the lives of humanity, and promote an appreciation and understanding for the day to day processes operating throughout the natural world. Education should also provide the necessary tools a graduate requires to become employed and able to sustain a lifetime career. The learning process should also serve to enlighten its practitioners with the fundamental tools to analyze information and develop a systematic means for processing that information which should lead to rational, cogent responses to the issues of the world. These skills will require a lifetime commitment resulting in an informed society that is capable of understanding complex social, economic, and political issues, which will enhance an informative and robust collective of citizens.