Earning respect, trust and support
OPINION: A big ‘shout-out’ from me to Wairarapa sheep farmer Hamish De Lautour for his excellent article Just answer the damn question! published in the last edition of Rural News.
Things are looking brighter for the rural sector now than they were this time last year. The difference in the schedules is reason enough to be more optimistic.
More years ago, than I can remember, I heard one of those quotes that you just never seem to forget. British historian, the late Lord Acton, said "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely".
I found much I could agree with in those few wise words and still do. Over the years though I have wondered about it from time to time; thoughts like - is this always the case 100% of the time or can there be exceptions? Can someone have the strength of character to withstand corruption?
Much more recently I came across some comments that settled it for me. Double Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Robert A. Caro did not think it was always correct. He said, "What I believe is always true about power is that power always reveals".
My take on it now is influenced a little by this comment of his. I think there will always be exceptions, even if they may be few! I also understand that power will merely unmask who a person truly is.
Now, when this very stuff comes up for discussion, most people think of politics and politicians. That's right! And there are many valid reasons for that.
I have both heard and read many times that politics is all about power. And how to keep hold of it once you have it. Of course, globally, history has no shortage of examples for exactly this.
I well remember when the former Soviet Union broke up. Many of you too will remember when that rather infamous Iron Curtain was finally pulled down. The folks in those countries behind the curtain were shocked and stunned to learn and to finally see for themselves what the West was like.
Their own governments had blocked and censored the truth for decades, totally controlling the narrative. They had lied to their own people. Please don’t try and convince me they did all that for the good and wellbeing of their own ‘we the people!’
To my knowledge, the first government to open a special office for disinformation was the Soviet Union. That office opened in 1923. The bigshot ‘influencer’ at the time was none other than Joseph Stalin.
If you are one of the seemingly declining number of people who can think for yourself, then “say no more” would be a good answer to that. You’ve got it figured!
The two words, disinformation and misinformation, used to be rare in the news and in public media but not now. Governments use them regularly.
It is never a good thing when any government gets outside certain boundaries. Blocking and censuring the narrative, or opposing and smearing those that don’t see it as they do, always has an agenda behind it.
Controlling the science by telling the sheeple “the science is settled” is never for the good of ‘we the people’.
For me, any government that raises itself up to be the sole source of truth for the sheeple cannot be trusted.
Truth has always been more than able to defend itself and still is. There has never been a need to block and censure lies to protect the truth. People can hear and decide for themselves, which is exactly what I have done with my faith. And I won’t have a meltdown if someone sees it differently!
God Bless.
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