I always wondered why the sky is blue, what makes us dream, what exists beyond the universe, because I was curious.

But when I began to question my authorities on controversial matters, people started calling me a conspiracy theorist.

The irrational stigma against being a conspiracy theorist is undeserving. It segregates the ability of the mind to think critically and seek for the truth in complex terms.

It’s like what my English instructor said.

“Some people just like to accept simple answers. There are no such things as easy explanations anymore. It requires effort to seek for the truth.”

The ability of the mind to question, scrutinize and seek the truth just describes us as curious and skeptical humans.

But mainstream media and society single out conspiracy theorists as crazy and irrational people, as they are conditioned to ridicule ideas that seem to be different and pose a threat to how pleasant society is.

Whether the individual’s theory seems accurate or not, once he or she is labeled as a conspiracy theorist, their words don’t matter.

The use of loaded terms, such as conspiracy theorists, are meant to influence the audience by using emotionally charged words rather than their literal meanings to mislead the public from listening to the individual’s assertions.

No one will listen or take them seriously because the audience created a crazy and paranoiac image of them.

Certain theories about controversial topics, such as the new world order, are often dismissed before any of the information is closely examined.

It is true some formed theories contain little to no evidence and can be proven inaccurate, but other theories sound plausible. Some even turned out to be true, such as the Operation Northwoods and Manhattan Project.

Because the term “conspiracy theorist” possesses negative connotations of craziness and irrationality, I will call the human mind’s ability to question the world and think as skepticism.

Skeptics are not the first ones to agree with what the majority of people think.

They approach the information by analyzing, investigating and then forming an opinion about it.

I can conclude an incident as a hoax by providing a detailed analysis of how the deceased person in the picture doesn’t resemble the victim or criminal. Yet, mainstream media would still call me crazy.

Am I sane because I do not agree with the rest? Or because I’m seeking for my own truth?

After reading “1984” by George Orwell, I became aware of how society can easily label an individual as insane because of their contradicting views toward a certain issue.

In a totalitarian society, the majority of the civilians accept the lies of the rulers. The protagonist Winston seems to question if he’s insane or a genius who discovered a horrid truth.

Winston was a true skeptic who sought for the truth despite knowing his views contradicted what his society believed.

Even though skeptics may not always be right, their ability to scrutinize and evaluate information makes them unique and intellectuals.

Society should not taint the human mind’s ability to think critically and question the information presented to the public. Being curious and skeptical are parts of our nature as human beings.