On Trust

Are you sure you should believe in everything you know?


My last post revolved around a group in facebook, full of religious debate. Alot of these debates involved 'facts' and 'figures', both for those questioning islam and those defending it. The problem arose when the two sides gave contradicting 'facts'. Who's facts are correct, and who's making them up?


Naturally, we cant trust the non-muslims, because most of them, if not all, would be rather unfamiliar with the religion.

But naturally, we cant trust the muslims either, because they're all bound to be biased towards their religion!

That would mean, we cant trust either!



And that brings up the following matter. These facts were posted up and generally accepted (who has enough time to do their own research on everything read online?), until the opposing side posted a contradicting 'fact'. Then both facts should logically be held void until one of them can be proven or disproven (which rarely happens). So how many other 'facts' online arent really facts, but just pieces of mis information no one contradicts? We read them, and since no one says otherwise, we believe them!


But we cant, really. Every 'fact' read on the internet could be false.

So dont believe the internet.


There are other cases of two things generally accepted as 'fact' contradicting each other.

For example, take global warming. You can find plenty of information, supported by graphs and measurements and extrapolations, saying that global warming is happening, and we're the cause of it. But then, in equal amounts, you can find other information, supported just as well by graphs and measurements and more extrapolation, stating that global warming is just a farce, the Earths tempertature fluctuates normally.

Who the hell is correct? Is global warming happening or not?

I dont know.



On a more local scale (so you non-malaysians reading probably wont know whats going on unless you google it), there was that recent Bersih rally. Mainstream media (like the New Strait Times) portrayed the rally as a flop, an annoyance to the residents of the area, and nothing more than a ploy by opposition leader to make trouble. This is naturally the governments view.

But more private sources of media, including those from people who actually attended the affair (like the blog of a collumnist i love following, http://www.rockybru.blogspot.com/ ), paint a different story.

Who to believe?



And what if its not just current media? Maybe even history isnt as 'factual' as we take it to be. Here in our malaysian studies, concerning World War II, the Japanese are portrayed as cruel and violent.

But what are they learning in Japan? Something completely different, i'm sure.


So maybe our entire past, which we take so completely for granted, is falsified and modified. How would we know? If we've been taught something from birth, we wouldnt question it. How do you know anything in our history actually happened? Anything at all? You dont. You didnt see anything. What you're doing here is trusting what other people say or write or claim to discover. But you havent seen any of this for yourself.

Might sound like a far fetched conspiracy theory. But think about it. Its truely possible.


So whom can you trust? The governments? Ha. No one trusts the governments. Scientists? For all we know, none of their 'research' and 'results' maybe true, Science has a way of proving itself wrong again and again. Our books? In trusting our books, we're trusting those who wrote them, and how can we do that? We dont even know them. Our friends and families and teachers? They would be just as mislead as we are.



Yes, i know i'm a freak, and i think too much. I have a tendency to examine every bit of information i find, and usually my first instinct is to disbelieve what i'm told. I'm the true skeptic.


But that doesnt mean i dont trust anyone. I just dont believe them. There's a difference there.


Even if you hide yourself from the world, you have no friends, you dont confide anything in anyone, you still trust. Alot. You trust that the fellow who built your house did it in such a way that it wont collapse on your head. You trust the guy who just drove by you not to swerve into your lane and kill you. You trust the nasi lemak lady not to sneak cyanide into your sambal.


So basically, just going about life, even in a minimal style, requires huge amounts of usually unintentional trust. Its necessary. You have to accept that in reality, your life is in the hands of thousands of strangers everyday. And you have to trust them not the screw you in the arse.


But the converse also applies. Remember, that every day, the lives of thousands of people are placed in your trust. So make sure you dont build a house shoddily, or you dont drive like a maniac, or you dont slip cyanide into someone's rice (though it does work better than arsenic).


I just wish everyone realised how much trust goes around in this world. It would make this place so much safer. Whats the solution? More people should be told about this concept. In other words, more people must read my blog. So advertise!


Also notice that the trusting bit at the end, really has very little to do with the believing bit at the start.

Its like a simpsons episode.




Screw Out.