JOURNALISM | WRITING | POLITICS | INSPIRATION | ELECTIONS
License To Lie
“Power tends to corrupt; and absolute power corrupts absolutely!” –Lord Acton
Lord Acton, a British historian during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, once determined, “Power tends to corrupt; and absolute power corrupts absolutely!”
What Lord Acton meant was power over others corrupts a person’s nature––that their moral compass decreases as his or her power increases. Like bending the rule of law to their own advantage or accepting money to further an agenda. The premise has proven accurate in multiple psychological studies. But is it true?
As a USA Today Best Selling Author, I research my backstories to make sure my characters and settings are historically authentic. Keeping my novels believable requires they be rooted in fact.
But I didn’t always incorporate that stellar quality into my daily life. I grew up with my parent’s morality, believed in their religion, followed their example, and I ultimately voted based on their opinion of what was best for my country. Not that their beliefs were wrong or bad, they just weren’t really mine. I learned what I lived.
In my memoir, Wingless Butterfly, I presented a hypothetical question, “What if you woke up one morning and found out every decision you made in your entire life was based on secrets and lies?” The answer for me was simple…
It would change everything!
At twenty-three, I was presented with that reality. Suddenly, my frame of reference held little significance. I discovered the truth about my mysterious past, and the revelation thrust my life into free fall.
My perception––the very belief system I used to judge everything––lost all credibility.
Most people don’t have the opportunity to view themselves with such crystal clarity. They live their lives as I did, accepting what they hear and see from their own frame of reference as the righteous truth. But is it?
Some countries propagandize their population from birth to the grave. So, they never know anything different exists…and some believe other societies are blasphemous and heretical. For thousands of years, wars have raged in defense of unquestioned beliefs.
But today we are educated, right? We have mass media, technology, and news that keeps us informed of world events. We know what we believe is morally right, justifiable, and the virtuous truth. We’ve heard reports on the news, from family, and friends. Thousands, if not millions, believe what we believe…so, they couldn’t be wrong––could they?
Americans have an important and imminent election on the horizon, and the divisive vitriol spewed back and forth between the right and left is unprecedented.
Which poses the question, why? Since the beginning of recorded time, divide and conquer has been a basic strategy to destroy nations. Are you sure you know the facts behind your choices?
Sadly, many truths are suppressed. Facts are spun to support desired narratives. Power grabs inflated by big money, special interests, and foreign nationals are no longer conspiracy theories. The truth YOU believe to be gospel might be rooted in massive propaganda.
Whether you are liberal, conservative, or moderate…I may or may not agree with your persuasion. But having seen firsthand how a person’s entire belief system can crumble and crash to the ground, consider this:
“What if you woke up one morning and discovered every political decision you made in your life was based on secrets and lies?”
I challenge you this: Take this week–– with an open mind based on the above question––submerge yourself into the other side…listen to and watch ONLY commentary from the opposite side of the aisle. Do your due-diligence and dig deeply, ignoring your usual modus operandi…which means don’t research through your typical, go-to news sources.
Then, whatever you choose will be rooted in real facts and balanced knowledge. But, either way, be sure to vet your candidates––yourself. Every one of them. Look at their history with this in mind: Past performance is indicative of future actions, and promises mean nothing unless they are fulfilled. People lie, especially under the guise of “politics.”
Sadly, our information resources today suffer from a chasmic deficit of factchecking verification, and too many people who, like I did, accept the status quo as truth. Too much of our mass Media reports skewed information to support opinionated, big money agenda. They’ve lost the standards journalists used to take pride in…or perhaps they too have been propagandized. America deserves better.
If we believe in the slightest possibility that “Power tends to corrupt; and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” perhaps all Americans should question career politicians and term limits?
Americans, your future––and that of endless future generations––deserves better than a country divided under the thumb of corrupt politicians on both sides who determine what they think you should believe. Vote them out of office.
In my opinion, no one should have a “License to Lie,” especially under the guise of it’s “just politics.”
So, be careful what you wish for. Regardless of your political beliefs, don’t allow any elected official––or group for that matter––to propagandise vital information or steal your future. Speak with your votes and be absolutely sure your decisions are rooted in real knowledge YOU researched extensively!
Don’t wake up one morning to discover the political decisions you made for your future were based on secrets and lies!
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Before I go, I want to tag a few writer friends for you. I think you’ll love their stories.
Dr Mehmet Yildiz, Tim Maudlin, Jeff Herring, Brenda Christopher, MaryJo Wagner, PhD, Vickie Trancho, Jesse-Melva Johnson, Sunita Pandit, Peg Duchesne, Benecia L. Ponder, John Kremer, Jacquelyn Lynn, Kelda Ytterdal, Phil Truman, Nomanono Isaacs, Rick Hoefer, Ellen Mogensen, Dave Kwiecinski, Joan Kent, PhD, Roger Himes Esq., Terri Ward, Nicki Walsh, Susan Joy Schleef, Nancy H. Vest, Dr Jeanne King PhD, Nile Nickel, Cynthia Charleen, Linda Miles Murray, Thomas Anderson, Andrew Poletto, Linda Halladay