Sounds pretty straightforward doesn’t it?
And yet this is something that I struggle with……just about every day.
You see, there is a lot of truth out there. Some of it serves me well. Some, in fact most of it, I like. But there is also a lot of truth out there that runs against my appetites. There is a lot of truth out there that interferes with me getting what I want…..and I don’t like that. Al Gore coined the term “an inconvenient truth”. He and I disagree on a lot of things; but, I think that this idea has merit.
An inconvenient truth is something that is true but that is in your way. It is true, but it keeps you from running your world the way you want to run it. I think that one of the greatest failings of mankind is the way that we deal with the inconvenient truths that we encounter every day.
Here are some examples:
Imagine a guy who shoots and hunts as a hobby. The truth is that a gun is a tool; but, it is a tool that destroys rather that builds.
Imagine a woman, embarking on a high powered career who finds herself pregnant. The truth is that an abortion will advance her career; but, it will kill her child.
Image a man on an exit ramp with a sign that says “hungry”. The truth is that he may be a professional panhandler or an addict; but, he could still use your help.
Imagine being confined to your home because of a virus that is running loose. You are bored and your family budget is shot; but, social distancing is the only tool you have to save lives.
All of these things are true.
Half of them are very inconvenient.
How do you…… How do I……. deal with the inconvenient truths that impede our lives every day? If what I see on Facebook is any indication……….we don’t deal with them very well. About a fourth of the posts that I see amount to somebody shouting a truth that promotes their agenda……..that gets them what they want. They deny or ignore the equally valid truth on the other side of the argument. Kellyann Conway used the term “alternate facts” to address this issue. She was pilloried for it by the press. But, just like Al Gore, she was on to something.
If you speak only your side of the truth and ignore the inconvenient truth on the other side……..then you are an idiot……..in the classical sense of the term. Don’t get offended……yet. “Idiot” comes from a Greek word that means “one’s own”. It accurately describes someone who promotes the truths that serve them, while ignoring the truths that work against them.
If you consistently deny or ignore half of the truth can you really call yourself……….can I really call myself…… an honest person.
I have often said that the most dangerous lies that you will ever tell………are the ones you tell yourself.
My challenge to all of us is this:
We need to roll back the rock and have a good hard look at the inconvenient truths that we have been hiding from.
Maybe then we can have an honest conversation about the problems that we are facing.
I have to believe that fearlessly seeking the truth, whether or not it is convenient will lead us to a better society……..will lead us to love…….will lead us to freedom.
‘Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.’
God, NIV
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
Jesus, NIV
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
Paul, NIV
The truth will set you free.
Jesus, NIV
…….but first it will piss you off.
Gloria Steinem