Do people really want the truth? I’m not so sure.
On some things, I’d say yes. These would be things that we know have a direct impact on our daily lives. We want to know that the gas gauge on our vehicle is accurate. If it isn’t, there is a good chance we’ll be walking when we run out of fuel. We want to know how much money is actually in our bank accounts so we don’t draw on it so far that it goes negative and incurs a fee for us.
Are we interested in the truth for other things? Probably not.
I saw a meme recently that captured this very nicely. It stated, “People don’t want the truth. They just want constant reassurance that what they believe is the truth.” Wow.
What might some of these things be? Off the top of my head, I think the things that we don’t really want the truth have to do with what we think is linked to our identity. Instead, we’d rather have what we believe to be true about our identity. It allows us to paint a more positive picture about ourselves to ourselves and others.
And so, I think most people aren’t interested in the truth when it comes to money (the reality of how it impacts our decision making and the power it has over us), politics, entertainment, sports, work, and more. All of these things have a religious undertone to them. They come with a set of beliefs about the world. They have high priests which declare the doctrines that are “true.” They have sacraments. They include an offering. They have holy places where people gather. They all have their own gospel narratives and messages of how these things save us.
But I wonder what would happen if we were willing to look at the reality of each of these – especially the reality of how they impact us, and maybe even control us. Are we willing to examine something like that? Or would we rather be reassured that we are somehow in control of these things?
Would agree that most people don’t want the truth because that would cause them to be uncomfortable and have to change. Since change and discomfort are antithetical to the aims and pleasures of ‘self’ they are rejected outright. Sad but true. In the times we live in people have become ‘lovers of self’.
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You want the TRUTH???
You can’t handle the truth. Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who’s gonna do it. You? (You Lt. Weinburg?)
I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago, and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know. That Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives. That my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you saves lives.
You don’t want the truth cuz deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want me on that wall… you NEED me on that wall.
We use words like honor, code, loyalty.
We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline.
I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the very blanket of freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it.
I would rather you just said thank you, and be on your way.
Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post.
Either way I don’t give a damn what you are entitled to.
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Great movie!
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