“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Placebos are pills that look and act like they are effective drugs but are only fakes like sugar or filling. But, when taken, people may, because they think the pill is real, get better or feel the effects of what they shouldn’t be sensing. Placebos are used in the testing of drugs but the Placebo “effect” is used in many ways to create a false sense of something.  I read this story about the crosswalk lights in Boston.  While I want to believe that all of us walkers and runners aren’t being fed “placebo buttons” it appears that we are.  The same can happen in our organizations with things like open idea generation, surveys, suggestions or complaint processes.  The semblance of consideration or listening can have a placebo effect.  The danger; once found out that the placebo is actually a fake, all effects are gone and in the case of the crosswalk signals, maybe even distrust sets in from that point on.

Today, we will be fed a fair dose of placebos, from news, messages, meetings, advertisements, etc.  We might not even know the difference, but we will feel the same.  There is only one antidote to the placebos and that is the Truth. And, as we know, we follow and worship the Truth. When we spend more time taking in His Word, then we can counteract the placebos of our world. While we work for God’s purpose, the closer we stay to the Truth, the more we become the opposite of others who feed us nothing but placebos.

Reference: John 8:32 (New Living Translation)