Earlier this week, a member of our community posted online some information about an issue that is currently being discussed. Some of the information in the post directly contradicted information that had been publicly discussed by another group in our community. In today’s world of keyboard warriors, it is not at all uncommon for there to be two contradictory positions put forth, each vying for the claim of speaking the truth with facts, so this situation was neither unremarkable or unsurprising. But what followed next was truly remarkable given the general attitude towards online discussions today.
The original poster had a discussion with a trusted source who pointed out that some of the information that had been conveyed in that post was actually inaccurate. In a subsequent post, the poster corrected the misstatement by providing the facts, and offered an apology for misleading those who had read the initial post.
Humility is seldom on display in social media. There seems to be a trend towards “doubling down” on a position even when provided with clear evidence that one is working contrary to the truth. Frankly, most of us have trouble admitting that we are wrong, simply because we have to first overcome the process by which we came to a faulty conclusion. Too often, we just enjoy being right. So, when faced with facts that say that we have gotten something wrong, or made a claim that just isn’t correct, our pride usually makes it very difficult for us to fully see the error of our ways and admit that we were wrong.
But then to take the extra step and admit, by way of posting a correction, that you had put forth inaccurate information? That is a beautiful example of humility, reflecting a desire for meaningful, fact-based conversation. You see, when we put out inaccurate statements that contradict someone else who has made an accurate statement, it causes people who believe the inaccurate statement to doubt the integrity of the person who made the accurate statement. If we are to have meaningful, community-wide discussions, it helps if there is mutual respect for the parties in the discussion. If we have accidentally cast doubt on the integrity of others by putting out inaccurate statements, the kind and respectful thing to do is to humble ourselves, apologize and set the record straight.
In the mid-1900’s, financier Bernard Baruch was quoted as saying “Every man has a right to an opinion but no man has a right to be wrong in his facts.” (Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan would famously say a slight variation of this quote in the 1980’s). This pares beautifully with the Ninth Commandment, which states “you shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” Simply put, the truth matters. We should all strive to be factual in the statements that we make. Yet at the same time, we are all flawed human beings, and there may be times when we make misleading or inaccurate statements.
What we do when we are confronted with the truth says quite a bit about who we are as people, and who we are as members of a community. My prayer is that all of us will have the courage and humility to act as our poster from earlier this week did, and use the same forum that we made our initial misstatement to make a correction and apology. I can’t think of a better way than that to demonstrate a commitment to ongoing discussion within our caring community.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron
Pastor’s Perspective in a small community July 28, 2022
Earlier this week, a member of our community posted online some information about an issue that is currently being discussed. Some of the information in the post directly contradicted information that had been publicly discussed by another group in our community. In today’s world of keyboard warriors, it is not at all uncommon for there to be two contradictory positions put forth, each vying for the claim of speaking the truth with facts, so this situation was neither unremarkable or unsurprising. But what followed next was truly remarkable given the general attitude towards online discussions today.
The original poster had a discussion with a trusted source who pointed out that some of the information that had been conveyed in that post was actually inaccurate. In a subsequent post, the poster corrected the misstatement by providing the facts, and offered an apology for misleading those who had read the initial post.
Humility is seldom on display in social media. There seems to be a trend towards “doubling down” on a position even when provided with clear evidence that one is working contrary to the truth. Frankly, most of us have trouble admitting that we are wrong, simply because we have to first overcome the process by which we came to a faulty conclusion. Too often, we just enjoy being right. So, when faced with facts that say that we have gotten something wrong, or made a claim that just isn’t correct, our pride usually makes it very difficult for us to fully see the error of our ways and admit that we were wrong.
But then to take the extra step and admit, by way of posting a correction, that you had put forth inaccurate information? That is a beautiful example of humility, reflecting a desire for meaningful, fact-based conversation. You see, when we put out inaccurate statements that contradict someone else who has made an accurate statement, it causes people who believe the inaccurate statement to doubt the integrity of the person who made the accurate statement. If we are to have meaningful, community-wide discussions, it helps if there is mutual respect for the parties in the discussion. If we have accidentally cast doubt on the integrity of others by putting out inaccurate statements, the kind and respectful thing to do is to humble ourselves, apologize and set the record straight.
In the mid-1900’s, financier Bernard Baruch was quoted as saying “Every man has a right to an opinion but no man has a right to be wrong in his facts.” (Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan would famously say a slight variation of this quote in the 1980’s). This pares beautifully with the Ninth Commandment, which states “you shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” Simply put, the truth matters. We should all strive to be factual in the statements that we make. Yet at the same time, we are all flawed human beings, and there may be times when we make misleading or inaccurate statements.
What we do when we are confronted with the truth says quite a bit about who we are as people, and who we are as members of a community. My prayer is that all of us will have the courage and humility to act as our poster from earlier this week did, and use the same forum that we made our initial misstatement to make a correction and apology. I can’t think of a better way than that to demonstrate a commitment to ongoing discussion within our caring community.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron