The need of truth is more sacred than any other need, yet it is never mentioned. One feels afraid to read when one has realised the quantity and the monstrousness of the material falsehoods shamelessly paraded, even in the books of the most reputable authors. Thereafter, one reads as though one were drinking from a contaminated well.
-Simone Weil, “The Need for Roots”
I was sat in a quiet café last Thursday morning with my copy of “The Need for Roots” and found myself re-reading this passage a few times. Once I finished the chapter, I went back and read it again. I am always captivated when I find authors from decades or centuries before lamenting about problems society still faces today. There is nothing under the sun, is there? In Weil’s case, she was writing this in the early 1940s and among other needs such as security, freedom of opinion, and honour, she esteems truth as the “most sacred”.
Indeed, I would have to agree. We build our world view and form opinions based on external input. What goes in our minds, comes back out in the form of opinions. We are what we pay attention to, is a prescient addage.
When it comes to news, we assess media to figure out what we should think about the state of things, our place in the world, and as such, we place a certain amount of trust in reporting. When the institutions that deliver us our news are no longer reputable, where do we go? We occupy an information landscape scattered into pieces. We rush around hurriedly to try and collect the true bits and put them together from multiple outlets, trying to get the bigger, most-factual picture.
Veracity exists, but the way news is disseminated now makes it a challenge to find. On top of the fragmented nature of information online, polarised opinions and political talking points make it easy to latch on to the ideas of others without ever having to form your own.
We are overwhelmed by information. Content is non-stop. Even when we put our phones down and go outside, we find televisions in public showing news or hear it on the radio, or catch people discussing it in at the store, park, or café. The reality is that it takes a great deal of media literacy to have a clear mind and to think for oneself. Without it, the news overwhelms us. We should be dipping in to our sources for a piece of insight for our own application and getting out before mind-rot sets in.
Weil goes on to write:
There is no possible chance of satisfying a people’s need of truth, unless men can be found for this purpose who love truth.
Who among us truly loves truth? How many of us esteem it more than likes or re-posts? Discovering truth is messy and requires nuance. One needs to be able to see the world from other perspectives and be wholly objective, placing their opinions and beliefs aside in its pursuit. Too few are willing to leave their zone of comfort to explore other ways of thinking. Especially in America, where we often play sides as we are bombarded with partisan takes that aim to evoke an emotional response as opposed to a thoughtful reply.
It takes intention to read the news in a way that won’t anger or overwhelm you.
These past few years, I have chosen to read very little of it, and when I do, it is for a short period time with the intention of researching a particular geopolitical or social issue. My primary rule is this: if there is hype, its time to click away. News should be calm, deliberate, and slow to make particular judgements or assertions. Slandering opposing views is uncessary. Fear mongering is even worse.
Find a few sources that you feel contribute to the pursuit of truth and stick with them. Reading only one outlet or one political leaning is a mistake. Be comfortable exploring every angle and sit with it. Do not fear seeing things from another perspective for a little while. Nothing is ever black and white and the truth usually sits somewhere in between the two most extremes.
The quest for truth in life is a high calling and not for the faint of heart. Believe though, it is noble and something the world desperately need more of at present. Things would dramatically change if more of us took up the cause.