"He who has not early sown in his mind the seeds of truth will hear many things that will seem true but are false and will thereby incur grave damage."

When we’re young, our minds are like fresh, fertile soil. If we don’t plant the seeds of truth early on, we’re at risk of buying into false ideas later. It’s a bit like our mental defenses aren’t up to scratch. Imagine growing up hearing all sorts of half-truths—without the ability to critically question them, we might take them at face value. And that can lead to some pretty serious problems.

Let’s set the stage a bit. This idea probably comes from a time when education and the spread of knowledge weren’t what they are today. Back in the day, if you weren’t taught the right stuff early on, you might end up believing all sorts of nonsense. Think about it—before the internet, your sources of knowledge were limited to your family, your community, and maybe a few books if you were lucky. So, the seeds planted early really mattered.

Here’s a vivid example. Picture a kid growing up in a strict, isolated community where they’re taught some very skewed views about the world. Maybe they're told that certain groups of people are inherently bad or that certain superstitions are absolute truths. Without exposure to a more balanced perspective early on, they grow up with these ideas deeply ingrained. Now, when they eventually encounter evidence or opinions that challenge these views, they might struggle. They could reject new information, doubling down on their old beliefs—or worse, they might be easily swayed by other misleading ideas because they’ve never learned how to critically evaluate what they hear.

So, how can we apply this wisdom in our own lives? Well, it starts with what we teach our kids—or even ourselves if we feel we need a bit of re-education. Encourage curiosity. Don’t just feed them answers, but teach them how to ask questions. Help them understand the importance of evidence, how to differentiate between a fact and an opinion, and why it’s crucial to consider multiple viewpoints before forming a belief. These are the seeds of truth.

Imagine this scenario: Sarah is a parent who’s really focused on teaching her son, Jack, how to think critically. When Jack asks why the sky is blue, Sarah doesn’t just tell him it’s because of Rayleigh scattering (even though that’s the scientific reason). Instead, she asks Jack what he thinks, encourages him to look it up in a book or online, and then discuss what he found. This way, Jack learns not just the fact, but also how to discover and verify information for himself. He’s planted seeds that’ll help him discern truth from falsehoods as he grows.

So, next time you’re in a position to share knowledge—whether you’re a parent, teacher, mentor, or friend—think about the seeds you’re planting. Are you helping to build a garden of truth that’ll thrive and resist the weeds of misinformation? It’s a small effort now, but the benefits are lifelong, protecting against the grave damage of believing in things that aren’t true.