"Do Your Own Research" Can be Applied to so MANY Things!

in Silver Bloggerslast year

Here in the cryptosphere, "do your own research" is a popular saying, typically aimed at those chasing investment gains.

But "do your own research" can really be applied to so many aspects of life.

0441-Daisies.JPG

Just Consider Social Media "News"

Hardly a day goes by that I don't receive some kind of email or private message from someone who's freaking out over some "news story" they have latched onto.

Most of the time, I just want to shake my head and ask them "Did you research this at ALL before wasting my time with it?"

Yeah, but it's on the Internet, so it must be right!

In your dreams...

Sometimes, I do worry about the state of humanity, at least in the sense that it feels like people are less and less capable of applying a little bit of critical thinking to something they encounter, before spreading it like dandelion seeds across the universe.

0564-AppleBlossoms2.JPG

Today, I received something on the order of a half-dozen opinions about the alleged Pfizer Covid video... people "knowing" with absolute certainty what it "means."

For the record, I have no opinion... on the basis of lacking confirmed information. Heck, even the professional "verifiers" of such things are sitting on an "inconclusive" opinion... and yes I checked.

But getting back to "do your own research," I find that so often what doing my own research ends up showing me is that most of those who have strong opinions tend to be deeply entangled in their own confirmation bias, rather than facts. Not truth, but facts.

Anyway, the vast majority of my research tends to give me the understanding that whatever is causing the "storm in a teacup" of the moment is usually neither here nor there.

0554-Salmonberry.JPG

Consider the Source...

Whose opinion are you going to value, and why?

If you want to know what to best use to fertilize your vegetable garden, are you going to ask an actual master gardener, or your quacky neighbor who believes old coffee grounds is the answer to everything related to gardening? Are you going to discredit the master gardener if you get a response that may be factual, but not one you like?

I find it to be a fascinating reflection on the human condition how often "the world is about to end" stories tend to be sourceable back to individuals/groups who live at some extreme end of the belief system about whatever we are trying to learn.

Facts are just facts. You have to "SPIN" them in order to get people worked up into a frenzy of fear!

0504-Nasturtium.jpg

The stuff that reached my email inbox seems to be testament to the fact that many humans truly enjoy being outraged and/or being in fear of something. Almost like it is too boring to just live your life and get on with your day!

I'm probably being too cynical here, but that's how it seems, to me.

Now I am going to go "do my own research" in a completely different arena... I am listing things on eBay, and am researching (still!) individual items from a box of old postage stamps. Quite a few good things, in there.

Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!

Thanks for visiting! Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment — share your experiences — be part of the conversation! I do my best to answer comments, even if it sometimes takes a few days!

HivePanda.gif


Greetings bloggers and social content creators! This article was created via PeakD, a blogging application that's part of the Hive Social Content Experience. If you're a blogger, writer, poet, artist, vlogger, musician or other creative content wizard, come join us! Hive is a little "different" because it's not run by a "company;" it operates via the consensus of its users and your content can't be banned, censored, taken down or demonetized. And that COUNTS for something, in these uncertain times! So if you're ready for the next generation of social content where YOU retain ownership and control, come by and learn about Hive and make an account!

Proud member of the Silver Bloggers Community on Hive! Silverbloggers Logo

(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly and uniquely for this platform — NOT cross posted anywhere else!)
Created at 2023-01-28 00:24 PST

0730/1985

Sort:  

For me it's all about balance, sometimes the 'world will end crew' might only be frenzied from the frustration of being silenced, one never knows. And I will listen to a 'wacky neighbor' about coffee grounds (in fact I do save mine in my veg garden compost) but also look to old texts and such on subjects. Often a line of consciousness on this mortal coil will stretch from truth to fact to wives tale to oral history and it's for us to piece together our own quilt of 'knowledge' (excuse my mixed metaphors lol)

And I agree, that calm and quiet is always better than panic, as long as one knows 'all the stories' one can feel they can decide which to feel informs more.

Which leads us right back to "do your own reserach," rather than just running with the next rumor coming down the pike like it were actual documented fact.

We save our coffee grounds in the compost pile, as well!

Beautiful flowers )
Just in time for winter is cold and they warm their beauty.
Cool)))

Thank you for your kind words!