Blind to the Truth: A Situational Reality

"People are blind to what they do not know,

and they are deaf to what they do not want to hear"

~ Brené Brown

Shortly after hearing a Truth revealed, it is common to see people refuse acceptance of the truth told. This is a typical reaction of someone when confronted with harsh reality. For example, if we discover that one of our parents isn’t our biological father or mother, and the person we consider our greatest personal enemy turns out to be our actual genetic link; in cases like this, the truth carries such a magnitude that accepting it can shake your own identity to its very core. Such a massive shift in perception generally terrifies people.

Total disregard of the truth is common. Many people prefer living in the safety of a belief system with a false narrative than to look beyond their current understanding and discover the actual truth. Living in a familiar, false reality often proves to be convenient and comfortable; you just have to remain ignorant of everything that could cause a rupture in your beliefs. So instead, you go along with the deceptive portrayal of society, often amplified by the mass media and entertainment. We also see the opposite happening in our civilization; people opposing common knowledge, adopting a false truth, such as the idea of Earth being flat. So, truth, by and large, can be easily fabricated to fit our need for comfort, safety, and ambitions.

Merriam Webster’s definition of truth says: “a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true.” As long as people choose to seek a fabricated truth, they will continue to desire a system (a doctrine) which will support their chosen way of life in order to maintain a sense of stability and purpose. By pursuing this constructed understanding of reality, people provide incredible power to those leading such ‘system-doctrines’ allowing these ‘figureheads’ to gain control over the masses. Religion, Politics, Race, etc., will make an alliance with various form(s) of widespread communication (music, movies, TV programs, social media, or news networks) with the goal to facilitate the group’s own depiction of truth and thereby remain a viable entity.

Most individuals are not ready to have true understanding or knowledge of their own existence. Like is seen in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, the enlightened man breaks his bonds and sees incredible reality of the truth, then tries to persuade the people in the cave to ‘go outside and experience’ this true world for themselves. Yet by this simple request, he is met with resistance and ridicule. Plato describes such endeavors to educate others regarding truth as “inserting vision into blind eyes.” It’s a waste of time trying to convince someone of the truth if they are not receptive to the possibility of its actuality.

As a result, many people have become hopelessly dependent on maintaining their individual philosophy of a chosen religion, political party, or organization which provides them with an identity. They will even fight fervently to protect this ideology. Similarly, Socrates asked if people like this wouldn’t even kill the messenger offering the truth about our existence. Nevertheless, Plato points to the philosopher’s responsibility to act in the interest of the unenlightened, even if they are hostile.

Unfortunately, in this story, ‘the enlightened man’ going back into the cave for the first time after his ascension and now seeing the shadows on the wall, faces the reality of what before he had dedicated his life to believing. It probably left him feeling disillusioned, perhaps disappointed, with the lack of mystique these shadow appearances once held. This is reminiscent of finding out how a magic trick works, which makes the illusion a lot less appealing if seen again; Truth, therefore, often goes at the expense of enjoyment.

An example of this can be seen with the legendary character called Santa Claus, which originated from the early Christian bishop named Saint Nicholas. For most young children, Santa Claus is a truly magical experience with the idea of an old-bearded man in a red suit, traveling from the North Pole in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer. According to this legend, Santa’s elves make toys and other presents in a secret workshop and Santa brings them to the children on Christmas Eve. With all the stories, songs, fairy tales, and films about Santa Claus, his annual appearance is almost a religious experience to the undeveloped mind. But when children are around the age of 6 or 7, many parents begin to tell the truth about Santa Claus. These children often react emotionally and in disbelief. A once much enjoyed illusion is crushed and loses its magical appeal. Hence, it’s not uncommon as adults to participate in nostalgia for the good old times when we were ignorant to existence and a “surrogate truth” was more appealing than reality.

However, people can still find pleasure in what they know is fake; humans show the capacity to treat an illusion as if it’s real. A form of this is evident in our enjoyment of watching a play or being engrossed in a movie, both of which are unreal yet able to provide an emotional plethora of experience without any physical interaction. The philosophical term for this phenomenon is “Suspension of Disbelief.” This is the intentional avoidance of skepticism, critical thinking, and logic when facing something unreal. This experience explains how Plato’s character upon returning to the darkness, if desired, could still choose to act as if the silhouettes on the cave wall are real entities; temporarily suspending disbelief in exchange for enjoyment, acceptance, and having a ‘good time’ with his ‘old unenlightened’ friends.

Today’s technology is now trying to provide illusions even better than reality, as seen by the manner in which people immerse themselves in a video game, almost as though they are living a second life; an existence more pleasant and rewarding than their current perceived reality. Of course, the objects that appear on the screen are not real yet just a mere projection of reality. In order to enjoy these projections, the individual must suspend this truth temporarily. Humans seem to accept this suspension of disbelief (and appreciate the lie) when it suits them best.

Plato’s work shows how people have disdain for a truth that threatens their understanding of reality. We have a tendency for an attachment to the familiar, the comfortable, the meaningful, and are sometimes willing to defend this belief with our lives. Just look at how people are ready to die for their religions, political affiliations, and racial norms. As a society, we tend to handle “facts” selectively, most likely because facts do appear in many different forms, and with varying magnitudes.

Truth can uplift us, it can leave us indifferent, or it can also make us depressed and miserable. For example, in the “Allegory of the Cave”, learning the truth has virtually no negative consequence until returning to the cave, at which time, sharing the enlightenment with others will be met with resistance and hostility by those who remained in darkness.

Only when an individual seeks after the truth for themselves can this enlightened understanding of reality give you purpose and legitimize your choice in behaving towards others with empathy and compassion. An incredible goal to have in a life spent with years of pain and suffering.

“Why do men learn through pain and suffering,

and not through pleasure and happiness?

Very simply, because pleasure and happiness accustom one to satisfaction

with the things given in this world,

whereas pain and suffering drive one to seek a more profound happiness

beyond the limitations of this world.”

~ Seraphim Rose

Regrettably, people tend to adopt surrogate truths to cover-up a painful existence while others actually love their painful reality and are often instrumental to their already dark worldview. Both those with surrogate truths or who love painful realities will tend to ignore facts that oppose how they want to see the world, and in most cases seek out to share this viewpoint with like-minded people.

Sharing a belief system, regardless of its validity, has benefits. As mentioned before, look at a religious group, political movements, and the powerful draw towards your individual racial culture. Being part of such groups can provide you with a sense of purpose and social connections, yet in return, farther alienating you from other groups. If in one of these groups, you gain enlightenment (even just a corner of the truth), but this truth is in opposition to the group’s viewpoint (beliefs), it will lead to members ostracizing you. Because of this fact, many people will keep subscribing to a false narrative against their own better judgment, just to belong and relieving their fear of rejection.

As people, we seem pretty opportunistic when it comes to the truth; we want to believe in ‘A Truth’, just not necessarily ‘The Truth’. We want ‘A Reality’, not ‘The Reality’. Unfortunately for us, both the truth and the lie appear in a story format. Fundamentally we don’t want the truth, but desire a story in which to believe, to identify with, share with others, and provide us with a sense of meaning and belonging.

“It is here that we encounter the central theme of existentialism:

To live is to suffer,

to survive is to find meaning in the suffering.”

~ Gordon Allport