Wikipedia (And The Internet In General) For Beginners

Some things online are set on their side.

I often times edit Wikipedia for fun and to share sources and content I find.

I don't edit using my given name, but by my family name.

This is why in the future some of my work on Wikipedia (and elsewhere on the internet) will likely be identified and attributed back to my given name (Edmundo Santiago).

I thought I should mention this before an accusation of plagiarism arises.

The effort of Wikipedia, as I understand it, is to educate others and get at the truth of any matter.

The truth as best as mankind can understand it and convey it in words.

A mind may be able to fully understand something, but to convey such understanding through human words can be challenging.

What is stated, or meant, is not always what is understood or interpreted.

We have the world's libraries at our fingertips.

The coming of the age of information unfortunately didn't mean the coming of the age of understanding or wisdom.

For some minds, an increase in information was not turned into an increase in knowledge.

With more information can come more confusion.

For some minds, cerebral fuses were busted.

According to each person's inherent bias is information interpreted to fit their conceptual landscape of what truth is to them.

Some information on the internet is inaccurate, or simply false.

There is also evidence of people's good faith effort to forward what they perceive as the truth.

Yet there is evidence of purposed misinformation: false or negative propaganda.

Although false information (propaganda) is strictly 'fictional', it can be categorized as 'non-fiction' due to its heavy influence in real life.

Lies, unfortunately, form people's opinions and influences their lives.

There is found on the internet complex campaigns to push a certain idea (or ideology) that is built on a falsehood.

Portions of such negative propaganda can contain lots of accurate information.

It is interpretation and point of view and motivation that can interpret facts into fictions... and also fictions into a well-argued 'fact'.

This is how a lie can become a mass web trapping gullible and easily influenced minds.

'Fake news' has existed ever since one man shared his opinion of / to another man.

Opinions have turned into legends (perceived as facts).

Legends are thus learned as facts as they are repeated.

Legends continue to influence billions of people on earth.

Mountains of books have been written supporting such legends.

This is why truth is often times not recognized by everyone.

Truth is often doubted when initially spoken or heard because of the mountains of noise.

However, notice how you know when Truth speaks to your heart.

It is very clear, although subtle.

It is also quiet, so calming... it can be disturbing for those not accustomed to its gentleness.

Truth 'disturbs' because it shatters the mountains of legend.

Truth breaks apart the keenly conceived interpretations that have supported century's worth of opinion and legend.

Not only do people's minds shatter when Truth arrives, but their very selves break apart.

The aim is to fashion one's self after the Truth... not as the world does in manipulating the truth to fit their ideas.

Truth's disruption is not as a lie's disruption.

Lies leave resentment, irritability, and inconclusive ends.

A lie hurts and causes much trouble, while truth clarifies and settles issues.

Lies are evil, and evil is their source... evil their end product.

Lies eventually reveal irrationality, while truth builds upon a rational and logical foundation arriving at peace.

Let us read about how comforting the Truth is... and what Truth really is:

I have given them Your Word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I Am of the world. My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I Am not of it. Sanctify them by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. As you sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify Myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. 

- John 17: 14-19

Let us also read how cynical one can be regarding truth, and on whose side Truth resides:

Yeshua said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now My kingdom is from another place.” 

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. 

Yeshua answered, “You say that I Am a King. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the Truth. Everyone on the side of Truth listens to Me.” 

“What is Truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against Him.” 

- John 18: 36-38