Christopher Bellis: Conspiracy theories | Columns

Early humans assigned blame to gods for the things they did not understand. This pattern has continued over time with religions, political leaders, monarchs, economic leaders, corporations, countries, parties and other groups and individuals. It’s common to want to celebrate or denigrate someone for the good and bad things that happen in the world — whether they are responsible or not.

But real harm can come from such thinking: When people engage in violence because of a belief in a conspiracy theory; When people don’t follow health protocols or guidance because they don’t believe a disease is real; When parents won’t vaccinate their children because they believe it will cause them harm.

But we need to push back on the idea that someone else is responsible for our troubles. We need to embrace our responsibility and come together to have the tough conversations. Find solutions for the things plaguing our communities, our nation and our world. We need to separate truth from lies and reality from fairy tales. It is not an easy task, but it is critical.

The solution to not feeling in control is to do something. We need to participate and bring about the change we want to see in the world. We can’t sit back and believe that nothing we do will make a difference. If we feel the world is out of control, we need to take active steps to change it. There are no hidden conspiracies controlling the world. Only us and the choices we make.

Conspiracy theories ultimately are not very satisfying. And by doing nothing we will only embrace more conspiracy theories — each more complex than the one before. And that will lead to more inaction and a downward spiral of inaction and harm.

So, in this world of conspiracy theories, how do we know what to believe? We should always ask at least three questions about any claim: 1) What is the evidence to support the claim? 2) What is the source of that evidence (and can it be verified by multiple credible and relevant sources)? and 3) Does the evidence support the theory, i.e., can you make a logical progression from the evidence to the claim?

Here are some theories I have heard recently and looked into and have decided they are not credible:

• COVID-19 is a hoax. Reality: Almost 200,000 people have died in the United States from the disease, and more will die if we don’t all start wearing masks and demand that our national leaders take more action (broader testing, stricter rules about gatherings) to control the virus.

• Donald Trump is safeguarding the world from a “deep state” cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles. Reality: No credible evidence.

• Climate change is fake. Reality: Have you noticed the wildfires in the West? Or the multiple hurricanes in the Caribbean?

• Elections are controlled by the rich. Reality: Election outcomes are because everyday people vote and make their voices heard.

• Mainstream media is part of a conspiracy. Reality: Mainstream media may have a bias toward a particular political view but are not part of any conspiracy.

• Trump created COVID-19/The Chinese created COVID-19. Reality: No evidence for either.

Our democracy relies on us being informed and engaged. We need to respond in rational ways to the challenges we are facing. Start by making sure you vote in this year’s election. You have the ability to influence the outcome. And once you’ve voted, take steps to enhance and improve something important to you. It may take more work to get the outcome you want, but taking action will give you more control than believing in a conspiracy theory.

Christopher Bellis lives in the Mount Washington Valley with his husband and two children. They own and operate the Cranmore Inn.