Over the past 10 -15 years you may have noticed an
increasing trend in branding people as conspiracy theorist simply because they
were saying or asking something that had not been verified by some
authoritative figure or entity. The term has become so demeaning and hurtful in
nature that no one wants to be called one for fear of being seen as delusional
or in need of mental evaluation. Other than outright censorship I can think of
no better way to stifle ideas, discourse and critical thinking. Perhaps that is
the point. What happens to a society when critical thinking or critical
questioning is no longer allowed? We get media outlets, government agencies
even some teachers and church officials that tell us what to think and how to
think and dare us to question it. Meanwhile, we slip down the slippery slope of
the type of apathy that leads to man’s inhumanity to man going unchecked and
extreme environmental degradation.
In the days of Enron the company had a thought provoking
slogan and philosophy. It was simple: Ask why. We all know what happened to
Enron and the irony is not enough people asked ‘why’ they were able to show
wildly increasing profits without having to prove those profits existed.
Another irony is that the one Wall Street analyst, John Olson, was considered
crazy (read conspiracy theorist, nut) for suggesting something was wrong with
Enron and eventually had to “move on” for his views. Not long after that the
roof fell in at Enron exonerating that nut Olson all together causing 20,000
people to be laid off and drying up almost every dime of their pension fund while
top executives took home millions in pay outs (man’s inhumanity to man).
If you question 9/11 you’re a nut. If you think vaccines may
lead to autism you’re a nut. If you didn't think there were weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq you were a nut. The problem doesn't lie in the position of
the person thinking these things. The problem is the lack of substantive,
thoughtful and civil discourse. There is so much vitriol and mean spirited talk
and it is all to stop the thought process. Our thoughts, along with reason and
a healthy emotional and spiritual disposition, are precious commodities that,
when used, form the basis of a well-functioning society that is not prone to
exploitation, subjugation and an apathetic spirit. Keep thinking. Keep asking questions no matter
how absurd. Transparency leads to the naked truth and it is questions that takes
its clothes off.
