Question authority and be properly skeptical

So this is a rather large topic that I am sure I’ll dive into deeper as time goes on but I wanted to be sure to lay some ground work here.

A problem with our society (primarily that in the United States but holds true elsewhere) is that we are brought up to sort of blindly follow authority, especially if it is wearing a costume (suit or uniform).

We are taught from a young age to trust those in an authority position because the thinking goes that they wouldn’t have achieved that position without somehow earning it or being eminently qualified.

Well I am here to tell you that that is almost always incorrect. You must understand that those who are in positions of authority over people, such as in government, typically aren’t the cream of the crop.

If they were they’d be in the private sector more than likely. And if they are in fact smart then it probably means they have a inferiority complex that can only be satiated by having that authority over other people.

It is always prudent to consider who it is that is giving you orders and also consider if those orders are legitimate or not. In essence, always question authority.

How do you know if an order is legitimate or not? Simply apply it to your Rules to Live By.

Does the order violate another person or private property or does it require you to do the same? Then it is probably not a legitimate order.

Remember, you own yourself. Don’t let others claim ownership over you by following illegitimate commands.

Being properly skeptical is a logical extension to questioning authority but takes it a step further to questioning most any extraordinary claims made by anyone.

When should one be skeptical?

You’ll find in life that we can’t properly function without some level of trust in what others say is true. Over time you’ll develop the ability to gauge whether a claim made by someone is reasonable based on common sense or not.

A critical skill in life will be developing your “Bullshit Meter”.

This meter is based on the amount of common sense that you accumulate in
life and your critical thinking and reasoning capabilities. I will do my best to instill as much of these skills in you as you grow but they will only be honed by your learning by fire.

I distinctly remember when my Bullshit Meter started going off for the first time. It is when I broke out of my “believe everything told to me by adults” shell and started questioning things.

I was in 7th grade and in Presbyterian Church confirmation class. We were discussing the concept of Hell and something about the whole idea didn’t sit well with me. This was my common sense and reasoning coming of age.

I asked something to the effect of “if God is so loving and all powerful, then why does he allow the Devil and Hell to exist? If he can eliminate them and not let his children burn and suffer for eternity, then why doesn’t he do it? And if he doesn’t do it, then doesn’t that mean that God is not loving…..”

No one could give me a good answer. Because I never got a good answer I kept going down the rabbit hole and thinking about religion and God and things.

Once I started questioning the whole God story then that led me to start questioning many other big picture things. I reasoned that if God himself could easily be questioned, then what about all the other large claims I’ve heard all my life such as “government is necessary.” I started asking myself, is it really??

I’ll discuss the questions of religion and government quite a bit in these pages going forward. Just know that it is essential to always remember that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and proof to be believed.

As an example in the future I’ll explore whether there is extraordinary evidence to support the extraordinary claims of religions as well as whether there is enough evidence throughout history to support the claims that government is necessary.

I look forward to doing that as I have always wanted to refine my thinking on these matters. It will challenge me and hopefully you as well when you read this. Be properly skeptical, of all extraordinary claims, especially of those from your parents!

Always think for yourself.