These red flags of persuasion are signals to look deeper into what is being said. Is it possible that at least one of the "conspiracy theories" might have substance? Why not just give a medical statement about the origin of the virus and let others sift through alternative theories.

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"Is Anthony Fauci Really Our Truthteller-in-Chief? (Kevin Drum, Mother Jones, March 21, 2020)

There are two ways to interpret this title of this essay. It could refer to spreading the truth far and wide, challenging censorship, presenting counter-evidence to public assertions, or critical inquiry that with counter-hegemonic education in mind. It could also refer to throwing the truth out the window with disregard, dismissal or denial. Unfortunately, in our post-truth world, the latter interpretation describes what is happening ad nauseam via politicians, media, and pundits. Sometimes lies are carefully dissected and untruths are exposed. Too often, such corrections either stand unchallenged or the corrections are not published. If there is significant benefit to those in power, the lies are spread far and wide by those who have control of media outlets.

This said, it is important to note that "the truth" is a multi-faceted gem. When sitting around a campfire, we may see different aspects of the fire. This does not mean truth is relative. It is still a fire, not a waterfall or a mound of jelly beans.

However, his allowance for complexity allows for more realistic understandings. Such truth-seeking is typical in traditional Indigenous cultures, where truthful communication is inseparable from the spiritual sense of interconnectedness to all things visible and invisible. People understand that the many forms for expressing truth, including art, prayer, song, dance, and dialogue, produce vibrational frequencies that allow for cognitive and intuitive knowing about reality. Indigenous verb-based languages allow for this in ways that are much more difficult with the newer noun-based languages that dominant the world today. "With the conquerer's strategic lies and noun-based language, communication lost its sacredness" (From Sustainable Wisdom and Truthfulness, p. 183). Words became tools for deceit on behalf of personal gain. Art and music became a commodity instead of an expression of poetic truth and beauty and Nature-based survival.

Loss of truth is not always an intentional act. Preconceptions that can be sourced in one's worldview can prevent us from seeing is outside the presumption. For example, the book Critical Neurophilosophy reveals how seeing neuroscientific experiments through the lens of a Western worldview can lead to conclusions that are false. This is why "several contemporary researchers are critical of the conclusions brought forth by neuroscience." We may all have unconscious false beliefs that prevent us from recognizing our contradictions or those in others. Still, when science fails truthfulness, we all suffer the outcomes. This is especially true when education fails us. As Henry Giroux points out in "Selling out Higher Education, as neo-liberal capitalism infiltrates universities, it becomes more difficult for educators and citizens to seek truth and address its absence when addressing pressing social issues. Although politicians are known throughout history for their untruths, the current government of the United States seems to be the epitome of a post-truth world that buries facts by "appealing to emotion and personal belief."

A recent blatant example of how easily the truth is dismissed occurred recently when ABC News host Martha Raddatz interviewed Mike Pompeo. In the ABC News transcript, Raddatz plays a clip from Trump saying he has seen evidence for it but is "not allowed" to say why he has a high degree of confidence that the virus originated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Then she asks Pompeo, "And, Mr. Secretary, have you seen anything that gives you high confidence that it originated in that Wuhan lab?"

Pompeo: "Martha, there's enormous evidence that that's where this began"Remember, China has a history of infecting the world and they have a history of running substandard laboratories. These are not the first times that we've had a world exposed to viruses as a result of failures in a Chinese lab"I can tell you that there is a significant amount of evidence that this came from that laboratory in Wuhan."

Raddatz: "Do you believe it was manmade or genetically modified?"

Pompeo: "Look, the best experts so far seem to think it was manmade. I have no reason to disbelieve that at this point."

Raddatz: "Youryour Office of the DNI (Director of National Intelligence) says the consensus, the scientific consensus was (that the virus) was not manmade or genetically modified.

Pompeo: "That's right. I---I---agree with that. Yes.

I've seen their analysis. I've seen the summary that you saw that was released publicly. I have no reason to doubt thatthat-it is accurate at this point.

Raddatz: OK, so just to be clear, you do not think it was manmade or genetically modified?"

Pompeo: "I've seen what the intelligence community has said. I have no reason to believe that they've got it wrong.

After Pompeo goes on and on about Chinese authoritarian regimes and the loss of life and economic costs of the virus, Raddatz asks a final question: "Do you think they intentionally released that virus or it was an accident in the lab?"

Pompeo: You know, I don't have anything to say about that""

If you did not catch Pompeo's blatant contradictory statements immediately, you are not the only one. I have had university students read the entire transcript and a number did not catch it. But more importantly than changing one's story in mid-stream is recognizing that there may be reasons for the back and forth deceptions of so many state leaders in the world that require further analysis. Although I do not intend such an in-depth analysis here, I offer some things to consider that may be vital to our collective futures with and in the aftermath of COVID-19.

It is true that on April 30, 2020, the Office of the DNI released a statement on "Origins of Covid-19" saying that although it believes the virus originated in China, "The Intelligence Community also concurs with the wide scientific consensus that the COVID-19 virus was not manmade or genetically modified." This statement seems to be true according to the public health scientists' statement in The Lancet on February 19, 2020. Admitting concern about the rumors, misinformation, and "conspiracy theories" suggesting that COVID-19 does not have a natural origin and asserting that many scientists around the world "overwhelmingly conclude the coronavirus originated in wildlife." They go on to say "Conspiracy theories do nothing but create fear, rumours and prejudice that jeopardise our global collaboration in the fight against the virus."

The Lancet is one of the most reputable medical journals around. This gives credibility to the statement that cites hard-working experts about the source of the virus. At the same time, if truth-seeking is to flourish in ways to allow "the whole truth and nothing but the truth" to emerge, what is with the disparaging references to harmful "conspiracy theories?" Sure, some conspiracy theories are dangerously wrong, such as claims there was never a holocaust, and some are so obvious to disprove, we can easily dismiss them, such as the theory that no one actually went to the moon. However, some conspiracy theories have been proven true, albeit too late in history. Paul Szoldra identifies five of such national security-related conspiracy theories, including how the Viet Nam war was justified; how American political groups were discredited as subversive by the FBI; how military leaders had a plan to kill innocent people and blame it on Cuba; and two of a number of CIA actions that until proven were dismissed unquestioningly. I myself have written scholarly pieces about the impossibility of the officially 9/11 story and about why Senator Paul Wellstone's airplane crashed after he became the only senator running for office who spoke truthfully about America's plans to invade Iraq. In this doctoral dissertation and subsequent articles, Ed Rankin writes about "The conspiracy theory meme as a tool of cultural hegemony." He reveals how the negative connotation of the previously legitimate legal phrase was created by the CIA to crush alternative theories about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Of course, the cigarette industry's conspiracy to hide knowledge about addictive and carcinogenic ingredients or Dupont's "deadly deceit" are fairly well documented as are many others.

These red flags of persuasion are signals to look deeper into what is being said. Is it possible that at least one of the "conspiracy theories" might have substance? Why not just give a medical statement about the origin of the virus and let others sift through alternative theories. I have already written that I believe the foundational source is a result of deforestation, overcrowding, treatment of animals and unsanitary conditions. These, and the worldview that spawns them are the cause of most pandemics. I may hope we understand pandemics as resulting from our treatment of Nature so this can be a target for our transformational efforts to create new systems that will prevent not only them, but also climate change, extinction rates, pollution, etc. This seems more useful than starting a war against China for using germ warfare or against whomever is targeted by the made-in-the-lab theories. However, it is not wise to dismiss any theories that might be about geo-political and financial motivations that might relate to the coronavirus origin.

This includes listening carefully to what Kevin Drum says about Anthony Fauci's truthfulness in his Mother Jones piece. I calls for knowing what Bobby Kennedy, Jr. says about Fauci being a dangerous fraud. After reading what Gerald Posner wrote in the New York Times in early March, it would be worthwhile to read his book, Pharma: Greed, Lies and the Poisoning of America. The Library Journal refers to as "extensive, meticulous research, leaving no stone unturned," which is a good enough reason to at least listen to a conspiracy theory.

Fauci may be a lone voice of truth in the Trump administration, but what if he is not? I think it is important to have a "follow the money" understanding of Fauci, his connections to the vaccine industry and to the rest of the Trump administration. We should question his inconsistencies. We want to know all we can about any vaccines that may emerge. One can believe in vaccines and at the same time know they can be either dangerous in themselves or can be useful but not accessible to those who most need them. I watched Mikovits' "Plandemic" video once and have more questions than answers, but she is an expert in developing immune therapies (vaccines) and has a story to tell about Fauci I would like to study.

I confess my own uninvestigated bias for my singling out Fauci's potential untruthfulness. Simply put, it is difficult for me to conceive of anyone who still works at a position of importance in the Trump administration as being the "straight shooting" and the "beacon of truth" he is made out to be. Fauci may indeed be such a beacon somehow, however, when I check my bias, he still seems to have a questionable history as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) since 1984 such as mentioned by Drum. There are also allegations about a cover up and "Ponzi scheme" in a new book about Fauci. Of the author, David Black of Rolling Stone said he deserved a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of AIDS.

Truth-seeking today is not an easy task. Few of us have the time or even the skills to uncover what is true and what is not. Yet truth is an "eternal conversation about things that matter, conducted with passion and discipline," as Parker Palmer says in his book, The Courage to Teach. If we are willing to become aware of our own preconceptions and beliefs first, we will likely intuit when something does not make sense. Such healthy skepticism coupled with open-mindedness may be enough to prevent falling for a dangerous lie. We are more likely to come to a conclusion that seems sufficiently truthful to take action or make decisions about future actions that may determine the existence of not the well-being of future generations.

Authors Bio:
Wahinkpe Topa (Four Arrows) is a professor at Fielding Graduate University. Former Director of Education at Oglala Lakota College, he is a made-relative of the Oglala and a Sun Dancer. Selected by AERO for their text Turning Points as one of 27 "Visionaries in Education" and recipient of a Martin Springer Institute for Holocaust Studies "Moral Courage Award" for his activism, he is the author of more than 20 books, praised by such notables as Noam Chomsky, Vandana Shiva, Henry Giroux, Darcia Narvaez, Greg Cajete, Sam Keen, Thom Hartmann, and many others. His books, chapters, articles and videos on Indigenous Worldview and its applications for sustainability can be accessed at fourarrowsbooks.com. He lives with his artist/photographer wife in a remote section of Mexico on the Costalegre. There is also a book on his work entitled Fearless Engagement of Four Arrows by R. Michael Fisher (Peter Lang, 2019).