Functional Truth
Photo Credit: Lorraine Daley
By Equality Rider Matt Steele
Most of us operate under the pretense that we’re sane. I don’t know why – I suppose it’s important for surviving and thriving. Truth does seem a little like a case of “majority rules” to me: a function of power and not some objective code, continually shifting across times and places and peoples. Maybe virtually all of us are off our rockers, and only a few are cursed with the ability to see reality as it truly is. Or, perhaps majority opinion is a necessary evil we must face, humanity’s best guess of the moment. It’s anyone’s game. Regardless, here we are, zooming around the infinite cosmos on a mini fleck of dirt and rock, struggling to define our collective morals and reality.
Given the fragile nature of our truths, I am continually amused by the speed and degree with which we will write off another person, belief, or action. What makes something morally repulsive or untrue to us? It breaks our norms and rules, our personal truths, from wherever and whatever we formed them. I encourage each person to critically examine this and the people, ideologies, and actions that disgust them. We’re not so different in how and why we create our personal truths – they give us structure and community as we collectively face the gaping abyss of the unknown. We must hold an awareness of this, never failing to critically evaluate our own goals and values, especially as we speak our truths. Pushing forward with anger and a superiority complex may serve to hurt the people we sought to empower. I say, if you’re going up to bat, do it because you love your team, not because you hate your opponent. Nobody likes a hater!
I tend to hold an aversion to dogma, in all its forms, whether the ideology is about marriage or power or equality or love, because dogma destroys all but two colors; it dissolves the beautiful rainbows of life and living. I believe we each hold a piece of the truth. I believe there are as many perspectives as there are people and moments, all swirling around in this magical playground we call earth. As we embrace the ever-changing nature of our world and the (im)perfectly human society that both creates and is created by us, I believe we open our minds, hearts, and hands to the wonderful zest of life. Join the party!
About the Blogger:
Matt is a resident of Portland, Oregon, where he spends his free time in the woods.
Connect with Matt:
Support Matt by donating to Equality Ride »
