Integrative Activism
is the business crafted to “Save the World”
True
Welcome to the True Revolution !
With
United in our True Purpose
Join the TRUE TRIBE because
One of the few things more important than truth,
Is the ability to discern truth from falsity
A quick review of the definition may be useful and prudent at this time because it is more profound than many people understand…
true;
Adjective,
- a. Consistent with fact and reality; not false or erroneous
b. Real or genuine, not counterfeit
c. Conforming to the criteria or characteristics of a group or type - a. Accurate, reliable
Noun,
a. Accurate or exact position, formation or alignmentb. Truth or reality Adverb,
b. Without deviation or variation
Adverb,
a. Without deviation or variation
Verb,
a. To make something balanced, level or square
b. To make even, level, symmetrical or accurate; adjust, align
So, to create a true revolution and a true movement we will need to;
Be True = Be Real, Be Factual, Be Accurate, and
Help to create a True Culture, a culture based on things that are true. We’ll all need to be patient, honest and humble to get that done because none of are right about everything all of the time.
Get trued or get screwed
Let’s clear away the most common misunderstanding that is pervasive and counterproductive in our culture that causes dysfunction in our society because when we’re not true(d), we can easily be screwed!
Belief and truth are often conflated and confused.
It is fairly common for people to talk about personal truths. What the heck is a personal truth? It is a belief! So quit calling opinions, beliefs and convictions, truths. Some beliefs are true, yes, but there are a lot of people who believe a lot of crazy things that just aren’t true. Remember, one of the definitions of the word, true, is accurate. So be accurate with your choice of words and please, don’t feed the delusions.
Here are some truing tips…
- Keep an open mind. Minds are like parachutes, they work best when opened.
- Embrace and appreciate the value of learning about your own false assumptions, beliefs or convictions. It is only by becoming aware of how one’s thinking is flawed or wrong that it can be corrected, made right, be made more true.
The Good Men Project has an excellent entry on The Virtues of Being Wrong for those who would like to read more. - Become aware of confirmation bias ( seeking and cherry-picking only the information that reinforces your current beliefs ) and do your best to avoid it. The process of truing is often a process of eliminating imperfections. Unchecked confirmation bias can easily induce forms of delusion. The Qanon phenomena is a great example of mass delusion created by confirmation bias combined with disinformation on social media services. It is also worth noting that the disinformation from Qanon is always provided by mysterious sources which brings us to the next point…
The propaganda professor wrote a good essay on confirmation bias that may be helpful - Learn how to check sources and verify credibility. Citations such as footnotes and endnotes usually indicate good works, but not always. There are far too many think tanks that do employ credentialed “experts” to spread mis- and disinformation, but usually lack the rigor of peer review process, but before we go there…
Here’s a youtube video on the subject. Check out the CRAAP test to sift through the crap. Here’s a simple single page with a useful chart. Here’s another and a TED talk for those who like those. - Learn from the knowledge and insights of the experts in their respective fields of discipline. You wouldn’t go to your auto mechanic for your dentistry needs, would you? Understand the process, the utility and value of peer review process. Here’s a good presentation about it with a handy flow chart and don’t miss the Peer Review Models.
- Practice careful, thoughtful use of language, your choice of words. We are only as precise, as accurate, as true, as the language that forms our thoughts.
- Learn to express your convictions in terms of probabilities. Lazy thinking and inaccurate use of language contribute to confusion and oversimplifications. People too often express what they believe to be true or false. People who express their convictions in confidence percentages ( ie. “I’m 80% certain that is true”) are most often the people who are consistently more accurate in thought and communication. Therefore, by definition, they can be said to be more true.
Not all logic is good or true so here are some resources to help
identify faulty thinking, build critical thinking skills and learn media literacy
Logical Fallacies, https://www.logicalfallacies.org has a good presentation, so visit the site!
The School of Thought, https://www.schoolofthought.org is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people think well and also has a project similar to Logical Fallacies which can be found at the following… https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com
The Foundation For Critical Thinking, https://www.criticalthinking.org has plenty of resources
https://medialiteracynow.org is well worth visiting with a great Resources page !!!!
The Propaganda Professor, https://propagandaprofessor.net is worth visiting
Regarding the nature of “truth” and philosophical theories of truth…
gotquestions.org has a couple of great and short essays regarding theories of truth that are worth reading. Here’s one clarifying the difference between objective and subjective because too many people don’t seem to understand the difference. Here’s a good quick read about coherence theory of truth.
Taking True into cultural niches, having a little fun, we ask Who are the…
True Patriots and True Christians
True(d) Patriots know our real history. We understand that a republic without democracy is nothing more than tyranny. China and the USSR are/were republics, but hardly democratic.
True Patriots understand that The Preamble to the US Constitution is the rationale and justification for the formation of the world’s first modern representative democratic republic. Yes, Promoting the General Welfare is why the founders and framers formed this nation. Those who condemn the myriad of programs that do promote the general welfare (such as Medicare, Unemployment Insurance, the EPA, OSHA, etc.) as socialist are ignorant at best and traitorous at their worst.
True Patriots understand that the Boston Tea Party was a protest against big tax breaks given to the giant corporation, The East India Trading Company, when all the smaller independent importers had to pay higher taxes. Yes, it’s why they destroyed the tea instead of stealing it. There was plenty of tea imported by noncorporate persons who would be truly appalled by the corporate dominance in our political institutions today.
True Patriots also understand that that the doctrine of corporate personhood was manufactured by the courts, not our legislatures. As a result, corporate power and profits have been consolidated into fewer and fewer hands while the vast majority of The People pay more and more for less and less for the fruits and bounties of our collective labors.
True(d) Patriots understand the differences between nationalism and patriotism. You can do your own homework on that, but we’ll just say that there is a Christian Nationalist movement here in the USA, but there doesn’t seem to be a Christian Patriot movement here. Same goes for White Nationalism.
True(d) Christians try to emulate the character and spirit of Jesus. So help to build a True Christian Culture and help to save the souls lost in hate and bigotry. Hypocrites and heretics often use Old Testament verses to justify their heresy. True(d) Christians understand that the Old Testament is Pre-Christian and that Jesus advocated for a new, higher and compassion based morality. Turning the other cheek represents turning the page from the old barbaric eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth vengeful morality to a new era of universal love and compassion.
So the next time some heretic uses Old Testament verses to justify hatred and bigotry, go ahead and inform that poor lost soul that he or she is not expressing true Christian values but pre-Christian values and they would be wise to repent.
Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish it. Like vegetation with thorns and poison leaves (think of raspberries or tomatoes) were the laws of the Old Testament, then Jesus came to usher in new times that brought the flowers, nectars and fruits to nurture the bodies of animals and the souls of men.
Christians and Republicans: Anybody who votes down-ballot for Republicans isn’t voting for True Christian values. Repent and vote blue for the Democrats who legislate to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, heal the sick and implement true Christian values through the powers of the state while laboring to make this nation true to the injunctions described in Matthew 25.
Christian Nationalism: Jesus said to render unto Cesar what is Cesars. Jesus advocated for a separation of church and state. You can’t be a True Patriot or a True Christian if you’re a Christian Nationalist.
Healthcare: Jesus taught to heal the sick, but Republicans have been fighting against universal healthcare for a century.
Hunger and Homelessness: Once again it is the Democrats who are the party that legislates repeatedly to mitigate those problems.
Bearing False Witness: Yep, you’re not a true Christian if you vote for a liar in chief or a party that promotes so many big lies and refuses to kick out or sanction the likes of George Santos.
May what you have read thus far serve you well on a True Path to True Goodness. May it suffice as a True Start. Integrative Activism is building on this True Theme and welcomes any truly constructivism contributions to the True Cause, so go ahead and send an email if you think you have just and noble cause.
Note: True is often capitalized and/or in bold script in this context to honor the sacredness, the spiritual nature of TRUE.
Don’t forget to visit the Store here at Integrative Activism where you can order and purchase a bunch of good stuff…er, it should be coming soon…
