Hoaxers and the Dalai Lama

You have to be a very strong person to make points to Hoaxers. You have to have the facts, be ready to share them and be able to post the links yourself because Hoaxers can't Google. Often you will have to have legitimate medical sites, proof of anything you share with credentials. 

Even educated ones will try to jump all over you as long as they outnumber you and can "bully" their view. They have a tendency to get snarky with no facts. It's hard not to get snarky back.  Afterall, you've got facts.  They've got an opinion based on other opinions, often devoid of any relative facts.  Sometimes devoid of any facts at all.

What I find most interesting is how often facts just aren't enough with them. They've tied their egos up to something that seems trivial.  Should a person's ego be tied up so tightly to the idea something is a "hoax"?  Should a person's ego be so tied up to incorrect information?  Is this really normal behavior?

For example, I have friends that are very tied to certain religious beliefs. Their religion gives them strength through hard times. Makes them thankful for what they have. Often helps them cope with daily life and sometimes tragedy. They often believe in intangible things.  Things we can't see. Things they take on their faith.  To some degree, we all do.

Using my own beliefs further to my point, I believe in reincarnation. I also believe in Karma.  I often see posts by some of my Christian friends posting a vengeful version of karma.  That's not really what Karma is in teachings. Karma isn't good or bad, so much as lessons.  Some might view good Karma as a reward. But in teachings, it's not a reward. It's an opportunity to grow more.  I don't point this out. My friends that share this aren't talking in facts. They are talking in opinions and views and interpretations.  They interpret the word "karma" as they perceive "heaven" and "hell", rewards and punishment. 

Could I explain this difference?  Sure, I could. And honestly, since most of my friends are not tied to my religious beliefs, it might confuse some, interest others, but I doubt any of them would then have 3 to two dozen people pelting me with arguments like bullies in a school yard.

Even if they did, would they all be right or wrong?  I have no way to prove reincarnation.  There's no science behind it really.  I cannot prove their interpretation of karma isn't really correct. It's like splitting hairs at that point.  Am I tied to my beliefs?  Of course I am. But I have no proof. I have religious texts but those are not scientific proof. I cannot share a Harvard Medical study showing how Karma works. There are no facts, just my belief.

Yet, medicine works in facts.  There is science behind it.  There are studies, lots and lots of them.  There are experts who can show you pictures of the viruses and bacteria and who have scientific proof of exactly how the body's immune system works.  Do they know everything?  No, but they know, factually, way more than any one else.  

When someone says, I don't care what the facts are and accepts a narrative with false facts, we call that beliefs.  It's not. Beliefs are in things with no facts. Zero, none, zilch.  Beliefs we take on faith. Like some of my friends take on Faith God is there for them. Or that heaven or hell will be where they or others end up.  Even my own beliefs in reincarnation and Karma.  These are beliefs. We have no proof; we just believe. 

Hoaxers have somehow tied themselves up into fact denying, twisting, even faced with the numbers of the dead. They believe. They use all kinds of weird things that often don't make sense factually.  But the strangest part is they ignore facts. I said a few days ago, dead is dead. 16,700+ today. Somehow the Hoaxers have let go of the 2009 flu narrative of 16,000+ in 6 months was bad and moved on to "new" numbers.  It's a moving scale for them.  How in the hell is that even possible?  I think the answer is clear.  Ego.

Years ago, the Dalai Lama was asked an interesting question in an interview. 

"What would you do if science proved there was no such thing as reincarnation?"

The Dalai Lama replied, "We would stop believing in it."

Hoaxers, regardless of religious beliefs, you could learn a lot from the Dalai Lama. Even if your ego, everything you believe is tied into something, in the face of facts you quit believing.  No one's ego is more than facts.