What’s real anymore? In a world full of A.I., photoshops, and deep fakes, can we even be so sure of what we physically lay sight on, even when we “see things with our own two eyes”? Sometimes, I am doubtful of the things I see, and even more-so questioning the things I read. I’m going to end up sounding like that lady on the plane who swore “that motherfucker back there is not real.” Now, I’m not saying everybody is a skinwalker or alien and that she didn’t have one too many edibles before the flight, but it did get me wondering on the possibilities of something like that actually being true. The more years I have on this earth, the more I am starting to think there really is an underlying agenda imposed by the powers that be, i.e. the media and the corporations and powerful political leaders. It would be very easy with that much power and influence to impact the people and portray falsehoods as reality. We can even see it now with the media, when one news channel leads more right-winged or left-winged, it totally impacts the story with a heavy bias, focusing on some details and excluding others in order to influence the people’s opinions, thoughts, and actions. Believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear, and even less if what you see isn’t a firsthand account, but only viewed on the tv, internet, and your smartphone device.
Let’s take for example social media. Even the people we know in person, can sometimes post edited and doctored images, or even write comments or statuses highly embellishing any truths. Some of these people I know in person, and even I’m shocked by the doctored images they’re presenting as reality. Y’all don’t look like that. There’s a difference between editing some lighting and removing some background, versus completely transforming your body and filtering your face beyond recognition. You can even do this on videos now, which I am sure countless influencers do, and I’m sure this contributes heavily to damaging the psyche of our adolescent youth forced to grow up in a world of comparison. When I was an insecure 12 year old into my teenage years, I would have scrutinized myself relentlessly trying to compare my face and my body to the Instagram models and Tik Tok influencers without understanding that everything is so heavily edited. From pictures to video, nothing we are looking at can we be entirely sure of is accurate. Unless I am seeing that individual in person directly in front of me, or I am witnessing an account happening firsthand, I am going to be exceptionally wary of things. Especially now with deep fake technology only getting more advanced.
Even with the anonymity on social media, I see the most insane comments posted by people who are clearly unqualified trying to present them as facts. Obviously this happened a lot in the Covid days with everyone spouting their opinions online, and then it turned out even the “qualified experts” had so much wrong and incorrect. Now, in a lot of online Jiu Jitsu forums, I see people who don’t compete spouting off competition advice, or brand new blue belts confidently explaining to someone how they need to be executing a technique. Even shouting over high-level, big-name grapplers and arguing with them in order for their voice to be heard above all else. Whenever I know someone in person and I see them regurgitating these “helpful connotations” when I know they struggle to roll more than one round without being demolished, I always think to myself how dangerous it is to blindly follow the advice of strangers online, especially when it’s unproven who you’re speaking with or the qualifications they posses. I can use this blog right now to go into detailed descriptions on telling people the proper way to detoxify their leather couch cushions, but I’d be talking out of my ass on a subject I am totally ignorant on. But how many people would be the wiser?
Speaking of pulling the figurative wool over people’s eyes, there are too many proven cases of lies and deception in the world of social media. While it is always good to have sympathy and empathize with others during hardships, not every sob story is an actual occurrence. There are some sick people in the world who thrive off of the attention misery gets them, or else is looking for a handout with money or other free things, and will set up GoFundMes or Amazon Wishlists because they know there are people that exist who read something sad and immediately believe them. Unfortunately I have experienced firsthand people embellishing tall tales in order to garner attention, sympathy, gifts, or finances. Some people are really good at manipulating situations and spinning stories and sadly, there are always good people in the world who will believe them time after time. I will be the first person to volunteer my time into helping others, but I regret to admit I have grown cynical to certain phrases or even certain people when I see them take advantage of other’s kindness. The best solution I have found is to remove these people from my social media so I don’t keep seeing the negativity or them abusing the system to take advantage of others. You can’t help people who won’t help themselves, and sometimes it is necessary to preserve your Peace rather than see lie after lie or fabrication after fabrication.
In a world full of so much deception, artificial intelligence recreations, photoshop, editing, deep fakes, and blatant lies, it is important to remind yourself of all of the good that exists as well. I know some wonderful people, who would give you the shirt off their back even if it meant they’d be freezing themself. Plenty of people who do good, and do the right thing, regardless of who’s watching or how they are perceived. Plenty of people who seek the truth, and look for burden of proof regardless of the fraudulent evidence presented (such as with doctored images). Unless I am in person and witnessing something firsthand, I will continue to be tentative and wary in the things I believe, if at all. Yes, even by the media and the news, as nowadays there is so much bias infiltrating what she talked about with facts, not feelings. And unfortunately, we live in a world full of too many people who blindly trust the things they are told by those in charge because they don’t want to believe we would ever be purposely misled. It makes me wonder what the truth really is that is being kept from the masses and why all the fear of us actually knowing what’s truly happening. I teeter the line between becoming too cynical but also keeping my guard up, and I hope to see more of the good people in the world fighting for truth and justice and less of the toxic falsehoods, lies, and deception. The blogs I write are of course full of my opinions as I have stated in the past, but I promise to be as authentic with my thoughts as I can possibly be, even when the topic isn’t the most popular. It all starts with being true to yourself first.
