Truth Is What You Believe It Is

There’s no Truth with a capital “T.”

Just perception and what you’re most comfortable with.

When the Nobel committee announced the winners of its prize for economics this year, people were left scratching their heads. Aren’t Nobel Prizes supposed to honor advancement in our knowledge of how things work? To help us get closer to the Truth?

Doesn’t seem so. Which speaks volumes about how we perceive and interact with the world.

Two of the three winners are polar opposites. Eugene Fama of the conservative Chicago School preaches that asset markets are always rational because buyers and sellers weigh all available information all the time. Robert Shiller of Yale teaches the antithesis: That markets are driven by psychology and emotions, resulting in “irrational exuberance.”

It’s no different with economics than it is with politics, religion, or social issues. Ultimately everything you believe traces to a single root: Your fundamental worldview. People embrace what supports their beliefs and reject anything else as flawed. “Facts” are skewed to support  desired goals.

Take any hot-button issue.

For instance, the recent federal government shutdown. Who was to blame? Depends on your politics. Enormous energy was expended to point fingers and sway public opinion, but it was only noise to reassure those who already agreed. The question was never really open for discussion.

Some issues are fuzzier. For example, an executive accused of skimming funds or sexually harassing a subordinate. A legal fight between businesses. A labor dispute. A government agency investigating alleged wrongdoing, or itself being investigated for allegedly bungling its duties.

This is where Crisis & Reputation Management has the greatest impact and can do the most to color perception.

At the end of the day, there is no Truth with a capital “T.” There is only perception. Whether it’s favorable depends on the story that’s most plausible and that you’re most comfortable with.

Gillott Communications is a Los Angeles-based public relations firm that specializes in high-stakes Crisis & Reputation Management with more than 50 years of expertise in strategic communications, corporate public relations, and working with the media.

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