Friday, August 5, 2016

The Facts May Not Be The Whole Truth!

Many people falsely assume that when one gathers the facts, he always finds the truth. While many times that may turn out to be the case, there are many other times when facts don't lead someone automatically to the truth. Pete Townsend wrote, "The facts don't always reveal the truth, but the truth always reveals the facts." Although, at first, this may seem somewhat inconsistent, in far too many instances it is the case. Beware of polls, and how others interpret data. Just as one might observe vastly different interpretations of the same facts, depending on what specific media read or watched, etc, how facts are gathered, considered, and one's objectivity, often skew the supposed, facts!

1. Not all situations are automatically "black and white" matters. In many real life instances, there are often cases where there is far more "gray." Statistics, for example, are often manipulated to offer a certain desired set of facts, but those facts are often not the entire story. How a survey item for a poll, for example, often determines the results that might be gathered. For example, in today's world, most of us have been, at least somewhat, adversely impacted. Therefore, if the question asked, "Are you satisfied with the economy?," nearly everyone would answer no, and the number would show a large dissatisfied situation. However, if questions such as, "Do you agree with the President's approach towards the economy?," the numbers might show different results. But, if the question was, "Do you agree with the President's approach, the opposition party's approach, or neither?," we most probably would get an entirely different set of responses. It then, of course, depends on who is being asked, and how the data is being collected. Another example might be that it might be a fact that membership, for example, diminished during someone's tenure in office, but does that make the truth that it had to do with that person's leadership? Or was the situation inherited? As you can see, there are a number of variables involved. In the real estate business, for example, there is often quite a considerable difference between the listing and selling price. This is based on perception, the market, competition, and reality! See - one must be wary of the facts!

2. On the other hand, when something is the truth, all the facts must align with that truth. Truth is based on legitimate facts, and the legitimate and honorable handling of those facts, as well as the ability to accurately interpret things. So many leaders fail to achieve their objectives because they simply see a set of facts, and those facts end up forming what they perceive as truth. Truth is composed of various and numerous facts, and without the training to interpret them, or the commitment to research the details, or the integrity to utilize those facts in a non- biased, non- prejudicial manner, many individuals in leadership mishandle facts to "prove" their version" of the truth. Honest and real truth cannot and does not have versions - it is simply the truth!

How many times have we heard people use a certain set of facts to justify or prove their point of view?  Just because a particular set of facts might be interpreted in a certain manner, that does not make that the truth.


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