Tag Archives: truth

Remedial Lessons on Being a Decent Human

Posted on by under Compassion, Risk

My main takeaway from the results of the US election on Nov. 5, 2024, is that a majority of Americans have failed to identify what it takes to be a decent human being.

Seriously. Whoever thinks it is okay to elect a convicted criminal and chronic liar who violated his oath of office during his first term as president; who finds people and institutions to cruelly condemn and insult for his own political gain; and who apparently feels that being sincere or apologetic is a sign of weakness, really need to reexamine their moral fiber.

I am not sure anyone has accepted the challenge of reeducating our fellow brothers and sisters on just what it means to be decent to other people. So until someone comes along to do just that, I am offering here some very basic guidelines on how to treat others. None of this is new; all of this should be known and cherished, but isn’t.

Welcome to remedial class, kiddos.

“In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” — Jesus Christ (0-33), Matthew 7:12 (NIV)

Everyone should know this, often called the Golden Rule. How little it is put into practice, including by many self-proclaimed Christians. In recent years, Americans (including self-proclaimed Christians) have been okay with separating children from their parents for no other reason than having come across the border into the US; prohibiting health care for people who badly need it; and turning a blind eye on systemic civil and human rights abuses. And the rationale is that the people involved are “them” and not “us.”

“If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” — Jesus Christ, Matthew 5:39 (NIV)

The basic message here is don’t be vindictive even in a bad situation. Instead, show yourself to be the better person. Sadly, Americans (including self-proclaimed Christians) appear to revere egotistical narcissists like Donald Trump, who bullies and insults anyone who gets in his way, spreads lies (breaking the Ninth Commandment with alarming frequency) to make himself look better, and is generally a sore loser.

“On one occasion an expert in the law stood to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ ‘What is written in the law?’ he replied. ‘How do you read it?’ He answered: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.’ ‘You have answered correctly,’ Jesus replied. ‘Do this and you will live.’ ” — Jesus Christ, Luke 10:25 (NIV)

Look at that! Jesus again, for three in a row! While this is a nice and simple formula for being a decent person (and, regarding the ‘love your neighbor’ part a repeat of Leviticus 19:18, so the commandment has been around a very long time), what’s really great is that here it is followed by the parable of the Good Samaritan. As any Christian will know, Jesus told the story to explain what it means to be a neighbor. Specifically, Jesus pointed out that it is not important that your neighbor meet certain minimum qualifications, such as having the same skin color, or the same ethnicity, or the same religion, or the same language, or to be of “your people” however you perceive that. Nor is it about whether helping your neighbor will leave you with a little less food or money. What is important is that you see someone in need, and you extend your help.

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” — Saint Paul, Hebrews 13:2 (NIV)

There are several places in the Bible (such as Leviticus 19:33) that deliver the message that it is our moral duty to extend kindness and hospitality to people who are not like us. I like this one because it is succinct, getting to the meat of the point that those who may appear worthless are quite possibly divine. Unfortunately, the world–including the United States–has become gripped with a fixation that all who are not “like us” are to be suspected and rejected (cue the Trump campaign speeches). It is worth noting that people who lived centuries ago lived among strange people from faraway lands, often quite successfully. We think ourselves modern and advanced, yet have failed to learn a basic lesson.

“The worth of a man is measured by his words and evaluated by his actions.” — Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406)

This one is new to me, but obviously it is not new. Ibn Khaldun was a Muslim scholar in Tunisia at a time when Europeans were still living under centuries of darkness. The fact that this comment is over 600 years old should mean that it is familiar to many people. Sadly it is not. Certainly not to people who appear to think Donald Trump and those like him are qualified to be the leaders of a nation. The words and actions of Trump and others quite plainly show otherwise.

“There is a principle which is pure, placed in the human mind, which in different places and ages hath had different names. It is, however, pure and proceeds from God. It is deep and inward, confined to no forms of religion nor excluded from any, where the heart stands in perfect sincerity. In whomsoever this takes root and grows, of what nation soever, they become brethren in the best sense of the expression.” — John Woolman (1720-1772)

The abolitionist John Woolman, an American Quaker, has been called an inspiring writer, a model of Christian charity, a religious genius, and an exemplary figure in the history of social reform. Considering that his life ended over 250 years ago, one might think he was less enlightened than we are today. But it is just the opposite: sadly many people are now less enlightened than he was. It leaves one to wonder how and why people have squandered such richness.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. ” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

This statement is so simple that it might appear to be nonsense. But think about it. First, when injustice is left unchallenged, people become desensitized to it and it becomes an endemic part of the culture. Secondly, one act of injustice that is not corrected can metastasize, leading to more and more acts of injustice, until justice itself is at risk. I assume we want justice, right? We claim to want justice. It’s even part of the Pledge of Allegiance that we recite with regularity: “…with liberty and justice for all.” But perhaps those now are empty words.

“We but mirror the world…. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change.” (Be the change you want to see in the world.) — Gandhi (1869-1948)

I end with this because it is a call to action, one that does not reflect any particular political party, religion, or cultural perspective. I admit that I have mostly tuned out the election postmortem. But the few things I have heard suggest that the outcome is because people are mad, people are upset, people want things to change (without providing specifics). What Gandhi is saying is that it is not enough (or not the right approach) to wait for the world to change around you, or for someone else to change first. Instead, we are called to model better behavior. If we each accept that challenge, then the world will change, naturally. Conversely, if we don’t it will only get worse.

One might be tempted to say that these are easy things to say when one has a comfortable life. And you might be right. But consider that these ideas arose from very diverse circumstances, from people who were acquainted with hardship, but all arriving at a similar message. That suggests that the truths are independent of circumstance and instead are (or should be) universal. In that case, they apply universally.

Universally, as in applying to you and applying to me. What needs to happen is that we as people must acknowledge from an early age that these truths (among others) are part of our human heritage. They supersede the ultimately petty differences that seem important in the moment.

Only then will the strife begin to fall away.

Truth (But Not Truth Social)

Posted on by under Connection, Purpose

In the spirit of Independence Day, I hold these truths to be self evident.

(In no particular order.)

Everyone’s well being rests on three pillars: a gainful way to make a living; access to health care; and a community of support.

There are good things decent people do when no one is looking.

If this brings me joy, and it’s not hurting you, why does it matter to you?

The world makes more sense if you realize that most people have a reason for being the way they are.

We are more alike than different. We just need to have a shared understanding of what it is we are all talking about.

Love the prodigal, and be patient. See the person fully worthy of moral concern, extending love beyond the prejudices of your upbringing.

We are all on a journey toward acceptance, and some get there sooner than others.

Historically there are people who have a point of view that has been marginalized or silenced.

Science does not replace religion. But science does replace cultural traditions that masquerade as religion.

There are too many arguments that suffer from logical fallacies, based on emotion and ideology, the setting up and knocking down of strawman arguments, and the selective cherry picking and misuse of facts.

We must not support stating beliefs as “truths” that cannot be challenged.

I am divesting from militarism, from war, and investing in community, healing, and true liberation.

Liberalism creates freedom by lifting barriers and creating opportunity.

Tyranny is the arbitrary, unjust, and unrestrained exercise of power, usually executive power by few or one individual.

The State cannot demand that a pregnant person sacrifice their life, their fertility, or their health in service of “unborn life” particularly where a pregnancy will not or is unlikely to result in the birth of a living child with sustained life.

The biggest impediments to business are social inequality, civil unrest, corruption, and environmental degradation.

When high government officials have businesses, you have a conflict of interest. They are not looking at the country’s interest with these projects. They look at their own interest first.

In our times we see an increasing trend for people in the public eye to display ghastly levels of narcissism. These foul-mouthed, low-intelligence, often wealthy sociopaths, devoted to self-aggrandizement and the debasement of anything truly admirable, demand not only our unreserved celebration of their psychosis, but compliance with their ever-changing immoral opinions.

Prejudice, bigotry, and fear are setting the agenda.

The lesser man will win because he is playing to people’s ignorance. He offers empty dreams, but he is giving every voter a bag of rice, and they all want to believe him.

Criminals lie.

Beware of anyone who declares they’re the only one who can solve the crisis and seizes power indefinitely.

Being convinced of your own greatness is one of the surest signs of being crazy.

Because I Am Involved in Mankind

Posted on by under Compassion, Critical Thinking

As I said in a previous post, lies spread because people want to believe them. They need to believe because often it goes to their very identity. Without those lies, they would lose their sense of self.

And people are fed lies for related reasons. Primarily, it is to create an atmosphere of confusion, out of which power brokers, politicians, and cultural elites can solidify and reinforce their power.

I just read an insightful article on this topic, laying out the framework under which lies are used to seize and retain power. Written by Leo E. Strine, Jr., a law professor, and published by Harvard Law School, it says that “The utility of those [false and misleading] issues is to inculcate a sense of identity and fealty in the masses who serve as their power base.” (“Inculcate” means to impress upon the mind through frequent repetition–I had to look it up.)

Think about it: picture for yourself someone–either in person or online–who is vehemently defending the position that all abortions should be illegal everywhere, or that climate change is only accepted by those “indoctrinated” by the “woke”, or that vaccines cause harm and create no health benefits. When you try to present an alternative to their worldview–using facts, logic, or reason–what happens? They get angry, they get upset, they start name-calling, some even begin to issue threats.

Why? Because they are scared. Like a cornered wild animal, they are lashing out.

And why is that? Because your perfectly legitimate views–based on facts, logic, and reason–threaten their very existance.

Because those lies have created for them the equivalent of family, of The Team, of Us (versus Them). It is protection from the terrors of an uncertain future. It is where they feel most safe and secure, even when, paradoxically, they are actually embarking on a path toward their own harm (such as with the refusal to get vaccinated against preventable disease, or the refusal to take rational action to prepare for a changed climate).

What then? We have seen hints of what is coming: fanaticism, tribalism, dissolution, violence.

Would it not be in everyone’s best interest if those stoking the fires with their self-serving lies were to turn down the rhetoric? Show some humility? Show some humanity and acknowledge that all lives are interconnected?

Strine’s advice is this: “When someone denies fact, mainstream institutions should call that out and refuse to legitimize their misinformation tactics.  Lies should be labeled as lies.”

That’s as good a place to start as any.

And the Lies Go On

Posted on by under Critical Thinking

Lies are alive and well and circulating among us. In case anyone thought my recent posts about the seductiveness of lies were an abstract exercise, current events prove otherwise.

The Washington Post reported this month about a Ponzi scheme that allegedly swindled $500 million from unsuspecting investors. (A Ponzi scheme is a type of financial scam.)

A key point of this scam–similar to all Ponzi schemes–is that the investors believed the lies told to them by people they knew and viewed as having some authority on the investment. These lies were flattering and played to their desire to help others while getting rich.

One person who lost money is quoted as saying “We were a little nervous, but we trusted him. Because we were friends and belonged to the same church, the red flags were heart-shaped. I was like, ‘Wow. We are really lucky to be involved in this investment.’”

It was falsehood with just the right amount of truth to make it believable.

These lies, as lies often do, defrauded many for the personal benefit of the few. And such lies will continue for as long as there are people willing to fall for them.

Dust off and recycle some old lies. Serve them up again. People fall for them. They want to believe them.

What solutions are there? I can think of several. Comment below and I will share some of them with you.

Lies – A Conclusion

Posted on by under Critical Thinking

People will believe lies. People will go so far as to destroy their own lives and the lives of others for a lie.

People are more likely to believe a lie from someone they view (rightly or wrongly) as having authority.

Conversely, people are less likely to listen to and believe someone who may be telling the truth but who does not in their eyes have authority.

Generally, people have a moral and ethical obligation to promote truth basically because there are real-world consequences for not doing so. By truth, I mean objective, verifiable fact, and not some clerical or political interpretation.

The First Amendment of the Constitution has been interpreted to mean that the government cannot prohibit a particular point of view. It does not matter if the point of view the government is prohibiting is true or not; it is barred from infringing on speech.

The position the Supreme Court has taken is that the cure for a proliferation of lies is to flood the “marketplace of ideas” with other points of view.

Unfortunately, many times the lies are more attractive, more comforting, and feel more “right” than the actual, albeit inconvenient, truth. And people believe them for a lot of very real reasons.

To be clear: an unintentional untruth is a mistake; an intentional untruth is a lie.

Lies do not qualify as “legitimate differences of opinion” or “political dialog”; they are scams, intended to mislead. Falsehood with just the right amount of truth to make them believable.

And the lies spread because people want to believe. They need to believe because often it goes to their very identity. Without those lies, they would lose their sense of self. Simply being given more information, or better information, will not overcome the deeply held need identify as a particular kind of person.

So, what is our moral and ethical obligation at this point, as a society? How to we approach situations where lies are being marketed as truth? How much do we owe to ourselves and to our family, friends, and neighbors to stand up to the lies, to call them out for what they are? How do we keep functioning and avoid descending into violence and chaos?

Freedom and liberty are good things, but an overabundance of individual freedom is essentially anarchy. I for one am not in favor of anarchy.

But that’s not really what’s going on, is it? What is going on is people with an agenda and a platform and a megaphone are feeding people untruths they identify with, the desired end result being more and more power to fewer and fewer people.

I am not in favor of fascism either.