Learn Language through the song - | English exercises

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Have you ever read a headline that

horrified you

only to find out that your friend read

the same headline and was elated?

Crazy, right? Same headline, two totally

different truths.

How is it that two friends

can have a different interpretation of

the same headline? Can you imagine what

that looks like in a society filled with

strangers and what they can come up with

over truth?

We don't have to imagine it. We're

seeing it play out right in front of

ourselves.

We're seeing opinions treated like facts

and facts treated like attacks.

Figuring out what's true today is pretty

much an extreme sport.

You want to know what's true?

You can't handle the truth.

Yes, Jack Nicholson's movie quote. But

it's also kind of relatable here.

Because it turns out that our brain is

not built for objectivity.

Our brain is built more for survival,

stories, and shortcuts.

That means that when we're reading and

scrolling, debating and listening, we're

not processing data. We're processing

interpretations.

Through the lenses of emotions and fear

and experiences, identity, and sometimes

just wishful thinking.

This causes a lot of volatility in

truth.

I've had a front row seat to see that

volatility in truth play out online.

I have a TikTok channel with over half a

million followers and just moderating

the comment section

is a roller coaster.

I've also had to see the volatility of

truth IRL, you know, in real life.

In my financial services firm,

when people will come to us for the

first time ashamed that they fell for a

financial trend that was based more on

FOMO than on facts.

At a time when it seems like we need

truth more than ever,

it doesn't seem like we know how to get

there.

What do we do?

Well, the first thing we need to do is

we need to go back to basics. And we

need to answer question of what is

truth?

At its core, truth is a commitment. It's

a commitment to figure out what's real

around us so that we can survive and

thrive. Simple?

Hardly.

Because the second thing we need to

realize is that not all truths are

created equal.

Now, the good news is

brilliant minds over centuries of time

have had to work through what truth is

and all the different types of truth and

how to apply them to the right

situation.

The bad news is, who's nerdy enough to

go through 2,000 years of epistemology

to try to figure this out into a

framework that we can use today?

Apparently, I am.

Welcome to the four tiers of truth. I'll

introduce you to them briefly.

First, what we have is we have opinions.

Now, opinions are simply beliefs.

They might sound something like, "It's

too hot in here."

Now, as we move up the tiers of truth,

we get to assessments.

Assessments are also beliefs,

but these are beliefs that we take

action on. We're committed to act.

Now, these might sound more like, "It's

too hot in here. I'm going inside."

Now, as we continue to move up, we move

from assessments to assertions.

Now, assertions are also beliefs that

we're committed to act on.

But, the difference between assessments

and assertions

is that assertions are testable.

That means that we can figure out if

they can be proven or disproven.

Those might sound more like, "It's over

90° out here. I'm going inside."

And then we have facts, which

technically are still just beliefs,

but these are beliefs that have been

tested, proven, and reproducible by

objective third parties using

transparent sources and methodologies.

Those might sound more like, "It's 91.5°

out here. I can see it on the

thermometer, and I can read it on my

weather app. What does your weather app

say?"

So, we have our four tiers of truth.

They're different, but one thing they

all share in common is they're just

beliefs.

But that's where the commonality ends.

We need to start teasing these apart.

Opinions are wispy. Think of them like

feathers. They literally will shift as

the wind blows.

Now, when we get to assessments, these

are beliefs we're committed to. These

are sometimes something we hold onto

until we come up something that we

believe in more passionately to change

our commitment. Let's think of these

like bundles of straw.

And the more agreement we get on these

assessments, the bigger the bundles get.

And then we have assertions. Remember,

these are the ones that are testable.

So, they can be solid once they can be

proven. And so, we can look at these as

sticks.

And then there's facts. These are our

most reliable and enduring form of truth

because of the rigor that they're

willing to undergo and continue to

undergo. Let's think of these as bricks.

Now, I'm going to give us an assignment.

Imagine what we have to do is we have to

construct a house to protect us from all

the harsh elements of nature and the

weather.

Which material are you going to use?

Feathers, straw, sticks, or bricks?

Yeah, I'm guessing you said bricks.

Precisely. Now, let's change the

assignment just a little bit. Instead of

constructing a house, we're going to

make a pillow to rest our head on, nice

and cozy at the end of a long day.

Now, which material are we going to use?

I'm guessing you didn't say bricks.

Crazy enough though, I'm imagining while

nobody actually imagined they were going

to stick bricks inside a pillow or build

a house out of feathers.

And yet what we see is that the context

changes the material,

but all the time we're seeing opinions

and facts interchanged like they're no

different.

We have to change this.

We need to start giving these the use

that are appropriate for the kind of

truth they are. Opinions should be

reserved for things like what should we

eat tonight and how do I look?

Assessments and assertions are great

ways to find out and understand what

other people are thinking and build

agreement for going forward.

And then we need to reserve facts for

the most complex form of opportunities

to flourish. This might look like

medical triage, building airplanes, or

pretty much anything involving

electricity or large equipment.

And once we start to do this and we

start to sort it out, we start to see

the shift.

Now, opinions can be like pillows, warm

and cozy, and there's nothing wrong with

that. Although at the end of the day,

does gravity care about our opinion or

how cozy we are? Or if we don't know the

facts about gravity, the airplanes crash

anyway.

Facts are pretty remarkable. It's part

of how we flourish so much is because we

have facts about medicine, about

technology, about how to communicate,

and we have thrived and flourished

because of it.

Facts are remarkable. And yet for some

reason, and in society that has access

to facts at our fingertips like never

before,

somehow we're watching it turn into

reactiveness rather than reflectiveness.

We're assuming intent. We're punishing

uncertainty. And we're applauding

outrage.

What's happening? Why would this be

true?

It turns out that truth alone is not

enough.

Not even facts.

Yes, bricks can be used to construct a

really reliable and solid house.

And those very same bricks can be used

to throw through a window.

Because truth alone is like one hand

clapping.

What's missing?

Trust.

Because when we don't have trust,

instead of building up, we start tearing

down.

Why is trust so critical?

Cuz it turns out we little human beings

couldn't even build a pencil by

ourselves if we had to, let alone an

airplane.

Now, in order to turn out just about

anything, we need to cooperate with one

another, or we can't do it.

And without trust

in individuals, groups, institutions, we

won't cooperate, let alone have shared

beliefs.

So, enter nerdy endeavor number two, the

three eyes of trust.

Intention, integrity, and impact.

Now, as you look at these, the first one

when we're trying to assess trust that I

found most helpful is intention.

Understanding in a fellow human being or

groups, what are the intentions that

those folks have, and are they aligned

with our own?

Cuz if they're not, trust won't follow.

It's why we like transparency and not

hidden agendas.

I'm going to offer a challenge up for

you as we think about shifting.

What if intentions we could start to

align differently than we do today, and

stop having intentions to win, and

instead have tensions to succeed?

Winning is about being right.

Success is about a better future.

I might be able to win an argument with

my wife, but I will not succeed.

Try it on. Now, as we move from

intentions to integrity, this is when we

have the intention, but how do we know

we can trust that that person can take

that intention ethically and capably all

the way through to completion?

This is really difficult when we haven't

worked with someone before, or we don't

know who the people on the other side

are.

Two things I look for initially when I

have that experience is I look for

absolutes and accomplishments. First,

absolutes. Always, never, everyone,

definitely.

Always wear this. Never eat that.

Everyone knows those people are wrong.

That stock is definitely going to pop.

These are the linguistic equivalent of

expired milk. Beware.

Next, I look for accomplishments, not

assurances.

What's the difference? Accomplishments

are the evidence of repeatedly producing

the outcome that we intend.

We try to verify this with evidence. And

when we can see it, we have a better

chance of being able to trust.

As we move down to impact,

the more impact on what it is we care

about, the more important that trust and

truth are going to become.

For example, if the impact is, "What am

I wearing for lunch today?"

then trusting the opinion of a good

friend might be enough.

But if the impact is, "I have cancer and

I need to get appropriate treatment." I

may need to upgrade that to assessments,

assertions, and facts from doctors and

oncologists.

You see,

we all face the same challenge.

To trust everyone is a foolish plan.

To trust no one is a failed plan.

We can only get there if we start to

steward truth and trust to find the

balance.

And when we do, we can start asking

ourselves and others, "What kind of

truth is this? An opinion, an

assessment, an assertion, a fact? And is

it being used appropriately?"

And then when you're trying to assess

others, we can say, "Do I trust them?

Intention, integrity, and impact?"

And when we do, we can start to

recognize that not every claim is a

brick.

And not every brick is safe in every

hand.

And then we can walk into situations

being observers first and believers

second.

It may seem in a world that's more

tense, divided, and reactive than ever

before this problem is insurmountable.

And while misalignment of intention and

misinformation run global,

it turns out that trust and truth begin

local.

And if we can just be great stewards of

truth and trust,

not only in assessing one another

but in holding ourselves to that

standard.

Then we can start to build a better

future together than we could ever hope

for apart. Thank you. Woo!

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