There’s a lot of nonsense floating around out there, and given the volume of information-sharing made possible by the Internet, the quantity of nonsense may be larger than at any time before in history.
And unfortunately, at the same time, our “modern” society has killed peoples’ BS filter by deprecating the arts and humanities. A study of arts, history, anthropology makes a great BS filter but a lot of people have not had that opportunity.
Ditto for learning pattern literacy. Modern industrial societies don’t encourage pattern literacy; I would even say they actually DIScourage it. A quick mini reboot can be had by taking a permaculture design course with the full original curriculum, but it’s not a complete fix.
Interestingly, something that for me has turned out to be a great way to cultivate a BS filter has been reading a lot of fiction. What it basically does is imparts generational knowledge in the form of story. That’s how generations have always shared knowledge in the past — via family stories handed down. And other peoples’ written stories can serve as a most excellent supplement — or as a somewhat serviceable stand-in, if you don’t have the good fortune to be connected with your generational stories. And books offer us the bonus of hearing voices from many different cultures and across many millennia.
I tried and true way of developing a BS filter is to listen to your own heart and body. Although, our so-called modern culture (which is actually very brutish and primitive in many ways) actively discourages us from doing that, and there are many impediments. And if one has spent a lifetime avoiding that, one’s first forays can bring surprises and even pain. We can ramp up to it by taking walks, doing some kind of meditative thing like sewing, or just sitting quietly in a room where we feel safe and comfortable. If there’s no whole room where you feel safe and comfortable, you can start to cultivate a portable pocket that goes with you wherever you are.