Data-giving and truth-seeking

THEY need not, and in fact, should not be given equal

footing. Seeking the truth definitely is much more than just giving

data and other pieces of information.

            Seeking the truth necessarily involves charity and the

justice that should flow from charity and should tend toward it.

Merely giving data and other pieces of information may be motivated by

something else, like simply wanting to justify oneself or to seek

revenge, etc., and so it need not get to the truth as truth should be.

            Truth without charity and justice is no truth. At least,

it is not the complete truth. It would just be a truth that would not

serve the common good and would cater only to some self-interest.

Without charity, the quest for truth and justice would consider mercy

and compassion as unwelcome strangers, if not enemies.

            And how can we get the truth in the context of charity and

justice? To be blunt about it, the only way is to be with God who is

the truth himself, and the very foundation of all reality, and who

reveals himself to us through his Son who became man and declared

himself as the light of the world (cfr. Jn 8,12).

            To seek the truth necessarily involves seeking God and not

just collecting data. We cannot overemphasize our need to be with God

through Christ for us to know the truth and live it in charity and

justice. Christ himself said so: “Whoever is not with me is against

me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Mt 12,30)

            In today’s highly information-driven world, we have to be

most wary and prudent in assessing the data presented to us,

especially in the media. Before we lap up these pieces of information,

we need to ask ourselves many questions before forming our reactions,

foremost of which is, what is the motive behind these data?

            We all know that, especially in the media, the pieces of

information given are usually yet in their raw and superficial state,

still unrelated to a bigger picture, and whose motives hardly go any

further than to generate sensationalism, more ratings, intrigues and

controversies.

            If we really want to know the truth, especially in the

context of the media, we should practice a lot of restraint and

discernment in forming our judgments. We have to exercise a healthy

critical spirit, since there is great likelihood that the news items

are biased or simply incomplete. This is not to mention that nowadays

there is a surge of what is called fake news.

            Very often, objective facts are clothed in opinion or

interpretations and spins that give a distorted view of the reality.

We should always be conscious of this grim fact of life. We should

always remember that seeking the truth, especially in the context of

the media, should be a function of our pursuit to identify ourselves

with Christ, and not just to satisfy our curiosity or meet some human

need or worldly goal.

            Let’s remember what St. Paul once said: “Speaking the

truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body

of him who is the head, that is, Christ.” (Eph 4,15)