Question everything you read, watch or listen

I don’t spend a great deal of time on the internet. But sometimes, I can’t help but wonder if what I’m consuming has any actual truth to it.

Most news outlets will have their own department of fact-checkers. They’re often reliable. But even fact-checkers have their biases. Some might lean to the left, others to the right. Everyone will have their own point of view and their own belief system. As a result, the real truth can be skewed.

Critical thinking plays a key role here. And this is something the Buddha emphasised to his followers and has been noted in the Kalama Sutta.

"Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumour; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another’s seeming ability."

The Kalama Sutta is often described as the “charter for free enquiry”. It’s opposed to blind faith, dogmatism and beliefs spawning from suspicious reasoning.

With this in mind, I try to be open to different viewpoints but also critical at the same time. Being open helped me take in different perspectives without judgement. The critical aspect comes in afterwards once I have heard or read everything so I can make my own conclusions.

So when you read a book, watch TV or consume the news, remember don’t fully accept what is being said. Instead, acknowledge it and do your own investigation. This way, you’ll find your truth.

Near the end of his life, the Buddha’s final words were:

"Behold, this is my last advice to you. All component things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting. Work hard to gain your own salvation."

This is often misinterpreted as the Buddha telling his followers to question his teachings. But in my point of view, he’s saying regardless of what you see and hear, it’s your responsibility to find and fulfil your path to enlightenment.