November 2020
Prelude to conversation…

When Madame Curie looked for the “truth” of radioactivity…it took research and effort.
When Thomas Edison looked for the “truth” of a light bulb…it took research and effort.
Sometimes the research went on for years.  One might even say that for both radioactivity and light bulbs…the research continues, as we discover there is more to the “truth” than we first thought. When we are hoping to discover the “truth”…we have to be patient and do the work it takes to uncover the “truth” of the matter.

In High School and then again in College many students propose a theory and then do research to prove or dis-prove the theory.  It takes time to do the necessary research to discover the “truth”.  We might not have enjoyed the research…but the paper we wrote was much fuller and more definitive because of the work we put in and the knowledge we gained.

At some point in the past most people bought the “truth” presented in cigarette commercials (that cigarettes are good for your health).  Research has shown that this is not so.  Cigarettes are still sold on the basis that the research and the discovered “truth” are not conclusive.

At some point in the past most people thought the earth was flat…and that the universe revolved around the earth.  Research has shown what is the ‘truth” of a flat earth and an earth which is at the center of the universe.

It took time, effort and research to discover the “truth” in these matters.

Discovering the truth still takes time, effort and good research.

Hopefully we have learned that the first word or the loudest… is not necessarily the truth.
We owe it to ourselves, to our children, to our society and to our country to do the research necessary to determine the truth.  Good research looks at every side, every angle.  Good research does not settle for agreeing with those who already see things as we do.  Good research demands honesty, integrity, patience and the willingness to learn from what we discover.

One of the joys of our modern day is how much information is right at our finger-tips.
One of the difficulties of our modern day is how much information is right at our finger-tips.

Research which is good, explores and tests all the options and/or opinions before proclaiming the truth…as we currently know it.  We need to be care-full  with the truth.  And we need to keep researching…for there is always more to the truth than we originally thought.

Rev. Ted Anderson