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I love to know and understand things. It's a core part of who I am. I want to understand why gas prices just went up, what chemical function corn starch serves in a recipe, why charity is always referred to as an object and not a quality... All the things! Maybe that's why this is one of my favorite memes... #knowallthethings
Here's my dilemma. I know how to find and apply spiritual knowledge. It's my foundation and lens for all further questions. I'm also pretty good at finding and evaluating intellectual truth. (Thank you, Google Scholar, Provo library, and at least 5 news sources on any given topic) But what about cultural truths? 

I want to know what my society really values. I want to know how "the majority" really spend their time, their attention, their priorities. This knowledge will inform my life views, my parenting, and my habits much less than spiritual or intellectual knowledge, but it's still useful and important to me. My awareness about the pulse of our culture affects what I post on social media, how I speak about certain issues, and how I prepare my family to participate in society. 

That said, IS there even cultural truth? If so, how do I find it? My social media feeds are pretty well-balanced with all social classes, sexualities and spiritualities, not to  mention plenty of Trump lovers and haters, but social media still doesn't feel like a good source for representative truth. The people who post regularly tend to be the most opinionated, posting only about a limited set of ideas. 

To be clear: there's nothing wrong with that! I treasure my passionate, cause-advocating friends. They teach me every day. But social media posts about politics, sexuality, spirituality-- how many are true? How much of what we post is appearance or opinion-based, and how much is genuine? And what about all the thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and events that I don't see online?

Wondering where you find your cultural truth, and how you evaluate the happenings and trends of our world. Also wondering- how much does cultural trend matter to you? And what influence does it have in your life?  

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