Quote:
Originally Posted by dsdrane
I guess I'm questioning whether acting out of Love, at the expense (even temporarily) of Truth, is justifiable.
I'm not talking about telling someone: yes, that dress does make you look fat. I'm talking about "bigger" issues of confronting ignorance -- the kind of ignorance that threatens violence, like racism and homophobia.
We seem to be able to embrace Love pretty well, but we get skittish about embracing Truth. Why? Is it because, deep down, we fear that Truth is not on our side?
Eugene Robinson, one of my favorite news "talking heads" and a columnist and associate editor at The Washington Post wrote this the other day. He acknowledges that it is difficult for President Obama to address any racism because of his special role at the moment but that this should not let the rest of us off the hook. Racism is out there; it's a factor in our national debate, a dangerous one; it's wrong and it's harmful...and that's the Truth.
Anti-gay forces wield "God's Word", arguing that homosexuality is unnatural, sinful and against God's plan for us. This is their Truth. I have no desire to be impolite, but they're simply wrong. This is a Truth that many of us have come to know that requires no written corroboration. No book ever proved this to me. No book could. I know it. I feel it.
I've been fortunate enough to know and feel Love, too. But this is different; this is Truth.
Fine...hooray for me. So how do I go about communicating this to others? At what point does Truth get watered down enough to be sufficiently palatable to approach our enemies "out of Love"? |
I think I understand what your saying... it's a
hard topic to try to explain. We can't overlook the truth in the name of love. However, we can't forget about the love portion. We need balance.
I feel you're right though, we are ignoring some very real truths because we are trying to protect others. I do it every day, in my house it's an obvious thing like money... I won't talk about it, because I'm protecting people, but at the same time, that's not really helping anyone. Just as, pretending that racism or homophobia do not exist does not help anyone and does not make the issue go away.
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -MLK Jr.
my addition...?
Ignorance cannot drive out ignorance; only truth can do that.
Isn't that what SF does?