Getting the facts straight about any situation is important. To a child at bedtime who is afraid of the dark, it can mean the difference between going to sleep in peace or fear. To a judge deliberating on a criminal case, it can make the difference between sentencing or acquitting an innocent person.
When we find out the truth about something, the facts don't change. But our perception of the situation changes, and this naturally affects us. Fears are laid to rest; intelligent, wise decisions are reached; mistakes are corrected. And even though appearances often contradict the truth, once we've got the facts we judge things according to the way they really are, not as they seem.
When the child discovers that the grisly creatures he feared at night are only shadows, not realities, then his knowledge of things as they are saves him from the fear of things as they appear. He knows he's not in any danger and never was. What a relief!
