W. Audie Sherrod,
Author of Challenge Accepted
In today’s world, being a widely read critical thinker is a must. Our world is changing so quickly that the newest challenge to be experienced is simply to remain alert, informed, engaged, and relevant.
In my writing of “Challenge Accepted,” I introduced the concept of coffee-and-muffin social media influencers. This is my term for the many people on our path who so willingly tell us what to think and do. We often find ourselves over-burdened and mentally and physically fatigued, yet we need to process and apply the often-confusing reports with which we are confronted. Finding or making time to read, research, and think critically about the information directed at us is increasingly taking a backseat to other priorities in our lives. Mostly likely, actual page turning has been even further removed from our daily lives being replaced with tweets, posts, soundbites, and snapshots. The first, most important challenge we have, and admittedly often the most frustrating, is culling through the headlines, snapshots, sound bites, tweets, emails, and text messages desperately searching for simple nuggets of truth. Once discovered, the second is to compare, contrast, and validate these nuggets. By comparing them to our values and finding a way to actively engage in the fight to retain our freedoms. What are we to do? Where can we find actual truth? What is our recourse?
It is good for us to remember—information and the control of information is power. For more than 200 years, American citizens have relied on simple truth and steadfast values as the guiding foundation of our belief system. A proposition of truth has long been at the center of our being and is the existential engine that drives us. How do we navigate our way through life today to find real answers, the truth? What do we read? Who do we follow? Who do we allow to be our influencers? And how do we do achieve our fact checking? Where do we find coffee-and-muffin social media influencers with a bent for good old-fashioned journalistic truth and accuracy?
Challenge Accepted is meant to illuminate and ignite your passion and mine for taking on life’s challenges, living adventurously, and bringing to light our options to engage and make a difference. Many of us truly desire to engage and feel we must, but simply lack direction and a clear path forward. Stand by because direction is only a few short paragraphs away.
Virtually every person with whom you and I come into contact are persons who will be impacted by what you do, or do not do--say, or do not say. As their life inevitably intersects with yours, you have a unique opportunity to influence their life and message. The person sitting next to you may be sharing their thoughts with others, and you can influence the words they choose to share, simply by taking the time to be a life encourager and sharing your values. It is important that we demand accountability and transparency in our search for truth and accurate information.
The need and call for each of us to engage is not only stronger than ever before but more dire than at any point in history. Sitting on the sideline is no longer an option. We must elbow our way into the game and up to the table, ready to be counted. In today’s cancel culture climate, our challenge is not for the faint of heart. Rooting out false narratives and misleading information is only the beginning. It is critical that we unapologetically stand up for our values, not simply accepting falsehood presented as truth by some coffee-and-muffin social media influencers or some members of the legacy media.
Just like you, I find myself constantly confused and overwhelmed on my hunt for the next understanding and truth presented by a source I can both verify and trust. I for one, long for the days when truth was a bit simpler and easy to identify, but that is no longer where we live.
We have heard it said that we live in a divided America, and I would certainly agree with that, however, finding common ground is part and parcel to the democratic process and a hallmark of a functioning republic. If we all think the same, it will eventually stifle progress. We need and should welcome healthy debate and disagreement. To get to Win/Win, it is critical that we find at least some points of consensus. Conversely, if we do not, the divide will grow and drive us irreparably apart. Finding common goals and shared pathways has been a building block in America since our inception, enshrined in our Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
I personally continue to struggle with not only searching out, verifying, and applying accurate information for myself, but wondering if others are doing the hard work to do the same. On my search, I watch and listen to many people from various backgrounds, diverse personal and professional, representing virtually every race, color, creed, age, and ethnic demographic. I often wonder where they are getting their information or lack of information, because it does not seem to match up with what I have verified, leaving me somewhat perplexed and frustrated. Let me say clearly, I realize that what each person believes depends very much on their own personal values, life experiences, and other life factors. What we individually see as important and correct, or incorrect is often not the same, but in America we have the freedom to think for ourselves and even to disagree. It is not uncommon for spouses, grown children, and those closest to us to offer differing opinions on some level, and that is normal. We don’t all have to agree; however, it would be helpful if we were all forming opinions and making decisions on factual information and not falsehoods. Hard facts may be difficult to find but they absolutely do exist. Some truths may be somewhat more obscured or skewed on purpose. Remember those coffee-and-muffin social media influencers? They are only the tip of the information iceberg. In this information age, now often referred to as the New Media Age, the amount of and constant flow of data and often purposeful disinformation and rhetoric is simply staggering, seemingly resembling a flood rather than a flow.
It is sad to report but our information streams are polluted with misinformation and with disinformation that sometimes feels like getting splashed with green slimy muck. It is now up to us to filter our information before we consume it, treating it just as if it were contaminated water.
So, what can we do? I said our greatest challenge was to remain alert, informed, engaged, and relevant. Add to that an equal challenge to bundle, process, and take voluminous amounts of information in our lives safely captive, before verifying it, praying, and making the best decision possible, rather than making our decisions on what is simply expedient or fashionable. That brings me to one, two, three crunch….
In the 1970’s there was a memorable commercial from Tootsie Pop’s. They came in cherry, grape, orange, and chocolate all with a Tootsie Roll center. The question was asked to various characters, first a turtle then a wise owl, “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?” Once to the middle you were rewarded with a gooey and quite delicious, chocolate Tootsie Roll. You can find multiple studies conducted by universities, of course, and others, trying to answer the question. In an uncontrolled setting however, the most common answer was most people grew weary, simply gave up and bit down hard, chomping their way to the chocolate prize in the center.
I see this one, two, three crunch idea as very applicable to our search for verified truth. Finding true and accurate information is the chocolate prize in the middle and we don’t have the time or inclination to do all that “licking,” so we chomp. But when we get to this information center, is it the truth? It would seem in our haste to chomp our way to the center we have bypassed the hard work of fact checking—a result some in our world want. Don’t do your own thinking, just listen to us and we will tell you what to think, spreading disinformation for personal gain. Remember—information and the control of information is power.
I have heard statements like these: “When it comes to information you need to back it up with receipts.” or “Trust comes with verification.” Often people are led to believe something is true or good for them, and they believe it without exerting the effort to get to the actual truth at the center. If they do a bit more digging, they may find that what is at the center is totally inaccurate information and that is critical.
Knock off handbags or fake designer shoes, although looking real, are similar to false truth; they look real, but they simply are not. We have plenty of room in our society for healthy debate, civil discourse, and even disagreement. But purveyors of bold lies and untruths for personal gain will be society’s downfall. Truth simply ensures we are each defending our positions from an agreed upon point of honesty. I heard a great idea recently. Instead of starting with labels or titles, just let each person tell their story then back it up with data and receipts, then you decide if you agree or disagree. Much like the saying, don’t bring me a problem without a solution, don’t bring me an argument without facts, because facts and values matter. It seems we often get the process backward believing that just because the label says this is what’s inside, we believe it. The label does not make it true, what’s at the center makes it true.
My original introduction of coffee-and-muffin social media influencers may have led some to surmise that we do not need or cannot benefit from them as information sources. In fact, that cannot be further from “the truth.” We need social media influencers, just like we need old-school, lead-chasing journalists, opinion hosts, and even fact checkers who actually verify facts. Each of these provide a valuable service to the process—they are part of the messaging trade and information flow needed to provide us with a pathway to the truth in the center. We cannot, however, find ourselves putting our stamp of approval on the chomping shortcut, bypassing truth, or tolerating malicious disinformation and outright falsehoods. Truth does come with verification. It is up to us to search out the correct sources of information and engage others based on truth. The truth matters and it is no longer enough to sit on the sideline and understand it simply for ourselves. Truth must be shared.
Unfortunately, many of us know someone in our lives who has fallen victim to disinformation or has simply grown weary of the information struggle. They now find themselves disenchanted and disengaged. If we as fellow citizens are to enjoy a thriving America, which is now attached only precariously by a thread, it is essential that we reach out and help them reengage. We can be of service to others by directing them to validated sources of information, while sharing and engaging in meaningful dialogue on issues of shared concern. If we are faithful to share what we know with love and right motives, we can most assuredly minimize the tide of negativity, instead finding renewed strength in American diversity, grit, and tenacity.
Envision an America which shares the common bonds of freedom which were conceived and so eloquently painted for us in the Declaration of Independence and inscribed in our constitution by our founding fathers and defended by Americans for over 200 years. I am convinced by accepting the challenge to seek out truth, engage in love with those on our path, and share our faith and values we can ensure our freedoms and restore truth in America.
This is my Challenge to you:
Let’s commit to engaging with right motives the people on our path who may think differently than us or may have been the unsuspecting victim of someone sharing inaccurate information.
Let’s commit to purposely finding ways to be purveyors of knowledge and accurate information.
Let’s commit to stand for truth irrespective of consequences.
Let’s commit, to being molders of character and values by intentionally engaging with and investing in others. Shaping thoughts and minds and presenting the opportunity for others to embrace new ideas will never happen by looking in the mirror, speaking out in a dark closet, or only engaging those who are just like us. The message of truth must be shared.
Our Challenge is to remain alert, relevant, and engage others who need to know what we know. It is not up to us to change minds or hearts, but rather to be faithful to share our story, our heart, guide people to the center and let truth prevail. America needs truth now more than ever.
“What you do matters and who you are matters even more.”
I have including below a sampling of recommended sites to get you started on your Truth and engagement journey. Although I am listing these sites as places to get factual information, please remember the importance of doing your own personal due diligence to verify information, statements, and facts and analyzing the opinions of others. Also, in full disclosure, my personal views tend to lean right, though I do treasure engaging with others on my path to understand other points of view. If you know of sources of information of which I and others may not be not aware, I would appreciate hearing about them, so I can stay relevant, informed, and engaged. Your Challenge Now Awaits. Congratulations on doing your part by digging deeper to find America’s truth.
News Outlets or Sites:
Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN)
Fox News
Washington Watch – The Family Research Council
NewsMax
American Family Radio (AFR)
Rightside Broadcasting
Podcasts/YouTube/Newsletters
The Righteous Perspective
The Dan Bongino Show & The Bongino Report
Bongino Early Edition / Evita Duffy
The Life & Liberty Brief – The Danbury Institute
Allie Beth Stuckey podcast
The Todd Starnes podcast
Prager U and The Dennis Prager Show
The Daily Wire
Wm. “Audie” Sherrod is a nomadic adventurer & Author of “Challenge Accepted - What You Do Matters and Who You Are Matters Even More,” CEO at Summit 27, and a former member of the United States Senior Executive Service (SES). www.summittwentyseven.com
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