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Ramblings from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia

“You Can’t Handle the Truth!”

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by
Pendragon
, 07-26-2008 at 08:24 AM (1871 Views)
My mother always taught me to tell the truth.

And Pilate asked Jesus, “And what is truth?”

Truth is a rather nebulous quality that people consider highly beneficial to the needs of other people rather than themselves. To suggest at all that perhaps long cherished beliefs may be in error or even in doubt may result in your being spurned.

I started writing these little articles to give social commentary with a bit of sarcastic wit. I take each day the headlines from an on-line database of the things that go on in our strange world, and try to find something about which to wax semi-serious. At no time am I trying to put down or trash anyone.

People are notorious for being unable to handle the truth. One can take published facts and if they disagree with what people want to believe they will be ignored.

A good case in point is the religious texts section on our forums. You can point out to people that even given a Creator of the Universe, evolution of one kind or the other can be proven to have taken place. You can tell them that animals are certainly not the same ones that were here forever and they will not believe.

You can point out to scientific types that chance in and of itself is both illogical and rather unscientific, that proving anything requires you to eliminate the chance factor. They will still look to chance as the beginnings of the universe because accepting any sort of design is something they do not want to do.

You can satire anything as long as you do not touch someone’s long cherished beliefs. The fact remains that there are Governments that are corrupt, there are religious people who are frankly nuts, there are scientists that have and continue to falsify results, there are crooked policemen, there are national sports that are dangerous and even rather stupid, and the list goes on ad infinitum. Just don’t mention any of these or people will balk, being unable to deal with the truth.

So if I write an article for my blog that deals with the utter insanity of enforcing the love of God by slaughter and so-called Holy War, the folly of some Government Policy, or scientific short-sightedness there will be flak. People won’t appreciate it if I refer to “The Running of the Bulls” as “The Trampling of the Idiots”, and apparently they don’t like any suggestion that some law enforcement personnel may not be the good guys. Very well, I can’t please everyone.

None of these arguments step away from the truth, and there are many things that back them up. This in no way makes every Government a Nazi regime, every religious person a raving loon, every scientist wrong, the people of, say, Spain less than intelligent, nor all law personnel corrupt. I trust that I can josh a little about the ones that are. If I cannot, perhaps time has come to exit gracefully, and save people the trouble of putting up with me.

Thank you.

Pendragon
Saturday, July 26, 2008
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Comments

  1. Countess's Avatar
    My general belief is that people cannot help themselves. I saw on the news that only 3% of the population has an IQ of 135 or higher. Since mine is well above 135, I can only conclude that it isn't that people are stupid, it is that I am smart. What I have also decided is you cannot be angry or blame people for being stupid. They didn't chose to be stupid; God made them that way. So, whenever I see someone behave in accordance with their God-given IQ, I do not grow angry, but think to myself, "They cannot help it. God chose to bless them in other ways." In this way I can be compassionate and love them rather than being filled with the desire to choke the living crap out of em. Try it; it works.
  2. kiz_paws's Avatar
    Pen, maybe you take things too hard. It is just that in a blog entry that questions something -- people are bound to jump in and have their say, I guess. No one is angry or anything. Hey, I get 'jumped on' lots because I have chosen to not eat meat, and I feel like you -- as in 'c'mon, let me live my life and not get into this' kind of thing? Anyhow, I suppose that when we open a door of our heart to enable people to step in, we have to also be willing and able to deal (without feeling negative) with the fact that everyone wants to have a say in things that they feel strongly about -- it doesn't mean there is a problem or wedge in the friendship, you know? Anyhow I hope I continue to read many many more entries to your blog. You have a way of writing things with such a flair, and even your titles are well thought out (you could easily be a newspaper writer, Pen, and I mean that in the nicest way possible!). Well, cheers to you, K♥zzo
  3. B-Mental's Avatar
    It always amazes me how people can defend certain practices with their own self rightousness, and many times just ignore the facts. It does get to the point where you frequently see these people defending their arguements with nothing more than bluster.
  4. motherhubbard's Avatar
    I sent you a PM, Pen, but I think I may need to apologize more publicly. Anyone who read my response needs to be able to read my apology. I responded in defense of most officers for your last blog, but I was not offended by your blog and I don’t entirely disagree with you. You have a great blog and I’ve particularly enjoyed this last series. I hope I haven’t offended or discouraged you in anyway.
  5. Pendragon's Avatar
    I get told that I take things too harshly quite often. I did explain that I am bi-polar and Anthropophobic. For those that don't know, Anthropophobia is the fear of people. I spend a good bit of my time alone because I cannot stand it otherwise, and my wife and kids work.

    This forum has been very good for me. Here I have met friends that I will remember the rest of my life. You may think you don't mean much to me, but you actually mean everything to me. I got more get well cards from online people than I got from family. And I took the time to write each of you personally to thank you. I try to spend part of each day with my on-line friends.

    I'm sorry I got so upset. Mind you, from my way of thinking, I was justified.

    Love all of you with all my being.

    Pendragon
  6. Countess's Avatar
    Glad you feel better, Pen. The people I'm talking about are at Walmart. I spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week with them, and sometimes they miss the most mundane things - I had to change my way of thinking about them or else I was going to strangle somebody.
    I still may strange somebody.