As a human, we all fall prey to confirmation bias. We want our suspicions, hunches, desires, and needs to be confirmed by forces outside of ourselves.

Whether that’s someone blatantly lying on the internet, data filtered to our liking, or actual facts, it’s easy to find the answer that we were right all along.

On top of our own brains trying to convince us of our correctness, we also have charlatans, frauds, cheats, and liars out there who directly benefit from us convincing ourselves. 

So it’s crucial then to take a second to also consider if something is telling us that we’re right, what does that source have to gain from it? 

If someone is talking the talk but not walking the walk, how do they gain from us listening?

It’s not about being paranoid, nor blindly trusting people. Trust, but verify.