17 Comments

I agree often the news is not good and there is a lot of misinformation, but I was sad to read in the comments that people have stopped listening or reading the news. I think it is important to stay engaged. Imagine if you just convince one person that what they heard is misinformation….

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Thanks Janice - I stopped watching main stream media about the time Don passed, almost five years ago now, and have to say I don't miss it. I'm not totally in the dark as there are always friends and family willing to keep me posted. However, I agree with you totally about the importance of doing my own "due diligence" and being mindful at what crosses my path - whether that's via my computer, iPhone, iPad, television, radio or even individuals wanting to share the latest and greatest drama that appears to be taking place.

With regard to dementia, we too have an elder in our midst who we adore and love dearly. It's not an easy journey and I'm sure your posts give many people encouragement and new ideas. Well done.

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Hi Marilyn, Thank you so much. You are wise to be mindful and aware. I hope you are right and that my experience can give others insight.

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Thought provoking.

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Hi Lee, I really don't know what to believe any more.

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Thanks for your posts, always nice to read as a fellow local and aging person. I'm an optimist and hope that truth will come back into fashion some day :-) The public "lies" we hear are different from fictions we need to tell people with dementia, intentionality is important. Scott Hershovitz's recent "Nasty, Brutish, and Short" has a fun chapter on this.

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Hi Larry. One can only hope.

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Janice -- definitely enjoyed the part of the article where you describe having to lie with dementia. Something to think about... Thanks!

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Hi Jan, I got pretty good at it . . because I had to.

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The truth and nothing but the truth... it's exhausting discerning reality from fantasy, wishful thinking, and false news reporting, and thinly disguised opinion, all masking as truth. I must be in the world so it's necessary to stay on top of things. I've learned to unplug for 24-hour increments to defrag and prepare to start the battle again when it's time. Great read, thank you.

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I agree. We used to be much more direct and we called an "alternative fact" a lie. They is no such thing as an alternative fact.

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This is a very important post. The Founders of our country were often offended by the media, but they knew that a free press is a keystone of democracy. There have always been distortions of the news, but those who attack the press most aggressively seem to want to substitute their own "alternative facts" which are often just lies and disinformation. A shared truth is necessary for the survival of democracy and we are on very shaky ground. The best short book on the manipulation of people by those who have power is "The Undiscovered Self" by the famous psychiatrist Carl Jung.

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Hi, It's the "alternative facts" that get me - when the pictures say one thing and some tell a different story. I don't know that book - I will take a look.

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I cannot tell a lie, Janice -- this was an excellent article. One has to be really dedicated to know the truth about anything these days. I tossed out my TV in 2016. I have never regretted it. Sometimes I read BBC news on my laptop, but mostly my brother and my son ( news junkies) keep me posted if there is anything I really need to know. There usually isn't

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Hi Sharron, I agree, it takes diligence to separate the truth from the misinformation. My son is very good at questioning - so I run many things by him. He can usually help me see the clarity.

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It is a sad world today makes you not trust anything or anyone at our age. Except of course family and proven friends in my case! Thanks for sharing Janice!

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Hi Rita, I agree with your point about family and proven friends - in my case too.

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