By Bob Wiley
Contributing columnist

The truth is an obscure and fleeting thing nowadays. Objective fact, similarly, is an oh so elusive creature as well. Was it always like this though? 

Today, facts change with the ebb and flow of the political winds. What WAS misinformation months ago is now touted as fact. Those that were reprimanded for sharing such misinformation months ago are now vindicated. Those who celebrated those being reprimanded and silenced wonder why their audience is a fraction of what it was in the recent past. 

What is somebody supposed to think and who should they believe? This is the challenge that faces everyone today. Are you willing to put in the time and effort to be informed? Because that is what it takes and not everyone has the time, nor the mental energy to verify the information that their sources present to them. 

So what is the answer? I propose this. If you don’t know, err on the side of sitting down and shutting the *%9* up until you have a better understanding. Until you do some homework. 

Another aspect to the homework side of it is the prevalence of confirmation bias. We only search in ways that give us the answers that we want to find. We all do it, and we have to fight this urge if we are going to get back to some degree of civility. 

I’ll tell you what, If I had the name recognition and audience, what I would do is sit down with experts and just talk with them about the things I want to know or that I know my audience wants to know. I’d see where the conversation goes and make it a very informal and comfortable environment with decanters of Johnny Walker Blue and hand rolled joints of White Widow. To add to it, we’d have computers so we could verify claims and dive into other topics. This would all be recorded and published for my audience to digest. 

During one of these…sessions, my guest–an expert in the area we’re discussing–might present something as truth that runs contrary to the views held by partisan news outfits and federal agencies? 

If this sounds familiar, I am describing what Joe Rogan does. Rogan is more of an independent/libertarian leaning UFC commentator, actor, and comedian who has amassed a following of over 15 million and who recently inked a mult-year $100 million contract with Spotify for his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience. What he has accomplished with his podcast is unprecedented in the relatively young podcast industry. 

Rogan has over 1500 episodes and discusses anything and everything with his guests. At times there are multiple guests and it creates a very informative and entertaining dynamic. He really is a master of this new art form and is able to get his guests to be surprisingly candid, creating controversy at times. 

Rogan is not afraid to have individuals who have been silenced or suppressed by other mainstream media on his show; having hosted the likes of Alex Jones, Gavin McInnes, Jordan Peterson, Elon Musk, Edward Snowden, Milo Yiannopoulos, among many others. 

The recent controversy, Rogan interviewing Dr. Robert Malone and Dr. Peter McCullough on separate occasions, in which the in-depth discussion of Covid-19, the vaccine(s), and the associated policies have drawn a censorship campaign by Lynyrd Skynyrd’s least favorite musician Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Little Brian Stelter at CNN, and even old Circle Back Psaki over at the White House. Musician’s are asking for their music to be pulled from the streaming service unless Spotify takes action against Rogan and removes the episodes. 

This speaks to the state of our nation. Many amongst us, however foreign to most our thought processes, are in full support of this silencing of those who don’t agree with them or who bring up information contrary to the few arrogant talking heads that they choke down throughout their day. 

It is hard to fathom that during the age of reality television, where many kids waste hours upon hours watching other people’s videos of themselves playing video games, publishing an hours long unedited conversation would get such pushback. Another interesting aspect of all this is the fact that this is a different medium than traditional programmed television or radio. It’s not like this material is taking a time slot on a station that people can flip through and accidentally stumble upon; they actually have to go out of their way to decide to watch or listen. 

Overall, people are not stupid. If given options, we will choose what is best and true and the other things will fade away. In the marketplace of ideas, we do not need outside help. We do not need a referee. We need to stop being so sensitive and paranoid and just pray for discernment and Godly wisdom in our search for truth each and every day.