Is it ever okay to drink the Kool aid?

Hello, lovelies.

    Watching the news today, do you ever wonder if we're being told the truth? Some really big scary things are happening all around the world. So big that there is no way that we could be lied to about it. And lied to by whom? And why? For what purpose? Why can't we just take everything at face value and believe what we're told? Or is that really just drinking the kool-aid? 

      Looking around the world today is exhausting. Global warming, climate change,  Covid 19, obesity, mass childhood poverty, racism, looming recession and crazy politicians to name but a few. How much can we take? We all have busy full lives, and these things are happening across the world from us, so what can we do? We give to food banks, donate to charity and vote in a way that we hope will make a difference. But things are getting worse and life is very far from fair. So why would our news outlets lie to us? The government has our best interests at heart, don't they?  I don't know about you, but I fear listening to the news. It seems that every day something new and disastrous has/is/or is about to happen. I can't keep up with who is fighting whom and why. Affairs, corruption and massive backhanders to corporation pals who fail to deliver the desperately needed PPE. I can't take it all in. How can this be allowed to happen? Sometimes I want to switch the news off and focus on more pleasant things, like my garden. I know that I should be more informed, but it's hard to listen to. But what if it is all fake news? Maybe I shouldn't be stressing about it at all. Maybe the next generation will fix global warming and climate change, so I won't have to. Maybe I should just listen to what we're being told, and not worry about it.      

    And what is the proverbial Kool-aid anyway? The phrase originates from events from the People's Temple in Jonestown, Guyana, in 1978, in which 900 members of a cult believed in their leader so much that they drank poisoned Kool-aid and died for their beliefs. But today it has evolved to mean extreme dedication to a cause or movement. One so strong that they would suffer for their views and lack of questioning. 

    But what are we questioning? And why are we questioning? What do we do with the answers? People spend their whole lives studying to understand all this stuff. How is someone like me ever going to make any sense of it? But then again, to see if some of the facts vary, or maybe some of the information is incorrect, that couldn't be a bad thing, could it? Questioning for information, that's all that is needed. Not listening to gossip, or taking what is said at face value.  Truth doesn't come from just one source, and relying on that one source, no matter who it is, can't be a good thing. What if we're only being told the tip of the iceberg? 

    We are a very social species and like to conform to all the social norms of the day. There is something very reassuring to being like everyone else. But what if over time negative bias' have shaped our views. What if, using old fashioned smoke and mirrors, we have been directed away from the what's right in front of us, to not question those in power. To question takes courage. It takes someone brave to not follow the crowd, but to stand up and say something. To make those responsible accountable. So I want to question. I want to know the truth, no matter how bad. I don't want to drink the kool-aid. I'd rather have a coffee.