Jumping To Conclusions

Have you noticed how some folks jump to conclusions before getting all the facts? It is a pet peeve of mine. I wish I could wave a magic wand and get people to just check the facts before they speak.

I had this conversation with a lady recently who was on a rant about our President. While I know he is controversial in many respects, the things she was spouting out as facts just did not bear up in the light. When I asked her where she heard it, she said she heard it on the evening news.

Well, if it is said on the news or on the internet, it HAS to be factual….right? Good thing we don’t have to worry about spin doctors and news pundits spreading their own versions of truth.

When one of our daughters was around five years old, she was sitting in the shopping cart and started reading the headlines of the magazines at the checkout counter. One of the magazines said in bold print, “What Men Want From Women.” Misty, our daughter, got really excited and said loudly to the woman standing behind our cart, “I know what men want from women!” The woman turned red and put her hand out as if to say, “No…don’t say it.” Misty has never been one to be stopped from speaking her mind, so she continued, “Men want food!”  The woman breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled at her statement.

Sometimes we jump to conclusions because of prejudice (like the first lady I alluded to). Sometimes it is because we think we know what someone is going to say (like Misty). Sometimes we just don’t listen.

The internet is great on so many levels, but my advice is to check your facts before you post them. SNOPES is a great site to check what is true or not. If you read something that sounds ridiculous, think about it from a logical standpoint. Just because you get an email from someone with an important sounding title telling you that someone wants to give you $5,000,000 US does not make it true. Check your facts, use common sense, think before you speak. That’s not too much to ask, is it?

Shalom!

Dan Skognes

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