I Fell For It (And You Might Too)... And I Taught Critical Thinking For Years

Watch here or keep reading below.

The other day, I was so excited watching raccoons on a night-vision camera jumping on a trampoline. 🦝
It was hilarious. So cute.

So of course, I shared the video with my husband, friends, and kids.

Then I saw another one. 
This time: deer. 
On a trampoline! 

Then another video. 
Bears.
ON. A. TRAMPOLINE. 

And that’s when it FINALLY hit me.
None of it was real.
ALL those dang videos were AI.  

Here are some of the feelings I felt upon realization: 🙄🙀😵‍💫🤯🤣😭🫣🤦🏼‍♀️ 

Now here’s the ironic part…

I spent over twenty years studying history and 17 years teaching it—helping students learn how to think critically, find and evaluate legitimate sources, and distinguish fact from fiction.

And I still got duped by trampoline raccoons.🤣🤦🏼‍♀️

After realizing I had been completely fooled, I laughed. Hard.

No harm done, but this experience definitely made me pause.

Because if something this harmless can feel so real…
What about everything else we’re seeing online?

A big reminder to myself:

Don’t automatically trust everything I read, hear, or see—especially on social media or the news without triple checking sources! HA! 😂

Just because something looks real…
doesn’t mean it is.

And just because something sounds convincing…
doesn’t make it true.

But most of us don’t have the time (or desire) to fact-check everything—especially when we’re hit with so much information the moment we open our phones or computers.

We’re living in a time where content is easier than ever to create—and not all of it is truthful.  Images, videos, “facts,” even entire narratives can be generated, altered, and shared in seconds.

(See raccoon incident above for Exhibit A 👆😄)

And while that can be fascinating… it can also feel very overwhelming. 

Individuals without any legitimate authority or credibility are influencing large audiences.
That's unsettling.
There is so much misinformation — “history,” and “news” included — being presented as truth. 

I’ve noticed that if I spend too much time consuming content—especially on topics I care deeply about and/or have studied in depth—I can feel agitated and reactive.

The passionate side in me can come out in full flames. 🔥😡

And I know I’m not the only one.

So how can we navigate all of this a little more gracefully?

We pause.
Get more curious.
Become a little (a lot?) more discerning about what we take in and believe.
We can remember that not everything should be accepted at face value.

And when the news (or social media) feels like too much?
When it makes us feel like our world is crumbling?

Well, this is a tough one. 

We want to be informed, but we can also step away, turn the news off.
It’s not going anywhere.
It will still be there later.

In the mean time, we can:

Go for a walk.
Watch a comedy.
Talk to a friend.
Take a few deep breaths (with extra-long exhales).

When we feel overwhelmed—by life, the news, social media, or even raccoons—we can come back to what’s actually within our reach. What we can control.

We can support our friends.
Care for our families.
Tend to our own bodies and minds so we can show up as our best selves.

✨ If you’d like to explore simple ways to feel more calm, joyful, grounded, present, and intentional in a fast-moving (and sometimes crazy-making) world, that’s something we gently practice together in our Joy Alchemy Community—one small shift at a time. Check it out here and join us free for a week.

✨Sending you love, light, and funny videos you know are AI but still enjoy anyways!

With curiosity and humility 😄,
Galit (“Gah-leet”)

P.S. If you know someone who would enjoy this, please feel free to share it. We could all use a good laugh—and a gentle reminder.