Help your brain do its job during the COVID-19 pandemic - Ask "Is it true?"
I like to live in a world of facts and I don’t care for speculating. It helps me to navigate our complex world and be helpful to others as they navigate the world too. If find this is especially true while we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
So, when I came across a COVID-19 related FB post earlier today my, “is this true?” radar lit up and as it turns out, for good reason. The article although very professional looking was false and had misleading information.
While there is a lot of fact-based information available through reputable sites, there is a lot of misinformation and/or incomplete info being circulated.
It’s a reminder to each of us to take a moment before accepting (and sharing) what is on our social feeds (as well as other sources) as true, to first ask yourself:
Is it true?
Is it from a valid and reputable source....including a proper link to the article? and,
Is there more to the story to understand first?
In the case of the post I saw, it did not tick all of the boxes.
It appeared true (but I later found out it contained both misleading and incorrect information).
It looked like it was sourced from a valid and reputable source, BUT, it did not have a link to the article. I also could not find the article using a Google search and a search of the site the post said the information was from. (I later found out it did not originate from the source site at all - it was made up!).
There was more to the story to understand. Both in the case of terms and claims. What engaged my "is this true" radar was my curiosity and confusion with the claim, "since the virus is not a living organism but a protein molecule, it is not killed but decays on its own." I didn't understand what the statement meant so I went on a search and found a reputable source which clarified what the statement meant. Here’s the article if you would like to learn more….https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-viruses-alive-2004 .
In this time of uncertainty and information overload, it's important to help our brain to do its job well. Our brains have 2 main functions -
1. To protect us, and
2. to make more of us.
In other words, it wants us to survive and thrive. Feeding your brain factual information (without overwhelming it) can help it do its job.
‘Til next time if you liked this, please social share it. Together we can help create a global mind shift.
