The Search for the Truth

By Erwin Parengkuan

Do you agree that the information we receive is correct information?Wouldn't it be wiser if before we believed it we needed to first understand whether it was true or not?And where can we know the real truth?I hope my sharing this time can provide insight into the meaning of truth for us to hold as valid information.There is a term "scientific method" where we are asked not to easily believe that something that is true (from information or someone saying it) may not be true, or something that is false may be true.If I want to shorten my explanation, it is important to be a skeptical person when it comes to receiving information.And if we want to get the right answer, of course we need to carry out this process of searching for information, and the path of searching for the truth may not go straight, it can be like a curve or tangled like a thread.Even if we look for it, we won't find it in textbooks.And if we have found it, the question is is it still relevant in today's world?Like many books in circulation, they were printed before the Covid-19 pandemic, so many theories are no longer valid/relevant.Do you believe it?

The following interesting example is about the theory of gravity and scientists' findings on several existing planets.A researcher named William Herschel has discovered a new planet called Uranus, which was previously undetected.Then Isaac Newton's theory of gravity emerged and speculation arose about how many planets there were in total?A theory can be a basis for researchers such as Newton's theory, whereas there has been no accurate research in space to calculate whether there are other planets there?They are skeptical and then look for it through a long process.Long story short, then two scientists named Le Verrier (a mathematician from France) and John Couch Adam from Germany, discovered another new planet, namely Planet Neptune.The essence of this story is that existing theories need to be strengthened with confirmation and researched carefully.In the modern world like now, the examples above are the same as hoax news which is increasing in number and may be difficult for most people to distinguish.

Bagaimana dengan informasi di media sosial yang sangat masif beritanya saat ini? Sangat sulit buat mereka yang naif untuk berpikir skeptis. Semua ditelan bulat-bulat seperti tahu bulat. Misalnya seseorang menuliskan title tentang dirinya sendiri sebagai seorang pakar, tetapi ketika kita teliti ternyata tidak/belum ada track record/diakui oleh industri. Atau belum lama ini di koran nasional seorang politikus menuliskan nama dirinya menjadi sebuah istilah, sedangkan istilah/terminologi tersebut tidak sepadan dengan nilai dirinya.

The world is becoming more biased, more and more people are carrying out brutal self-campaigns, because of ego, because they are not recognized and want to be recognized, while we often forget about a long process with a variety of processes.So, to get used to being more critical in receiving information, we have to start taking a skeptical attitude and not be easily taken in by the news. Investigate and search for the truth through a long process, such as the stories of scientists who do not completely accept a theory that has even been recognized by the world.
Responding to labels made by those who have not been recognized, they must instead refer to a long process that can be used as a guide to improving their careers.So small achievements will continue to be created and of course they will start to get recognition, and over time they will grow and so on.And the terms/names for the achievements made will automatically become attributes given by industry/society, where someone will become increasingly successful without having to create a label first.