Separating truth from lies is the only path forward

Accountability and truth are important elements in the foundation of democracy but seem to be at the center of our national divisiveness.

In ethics and governance, accountability is answerability, blameworthiness, liability and the expectation of accountgiving as well as the obligation to report, explain and be answerable for resulting consequences.

Truth is the property of being in accord with fact or reality. In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as beliefs, propositions and declarative sentences. Lying is the antithesis of the truth.

What we are witnessing over a period of time, though seemingly accelerated under President Donald Trump, is the erosion of accountability and, particularly, truth. Trump lied throughout his four years in office. The GOP and supporters believed those lies, distorting the reality that he lost the certified election and that he knows what is best for our country.

What we lack are daily factcheckers and using critical thinking skills to decipher the truth from fantasy embedded in conspiracy theories that the right-wing uses daily to gain attention and ratings. Social media also needs to be viewed as a major source of misunderstanding and misinformation that often goes unchallenged. There is rarely any accountability for lies on Facebook, Twitter, Fox and other right-wing media.

More significant is the distortion of the truth that will persist into the future. Until we can easily separate truth from lies and demand accountability, there will be little progress in the country.

Raymond Harris

Glenville