The Truth They Are Telling

 

This is my second take on the subject of this piece … the first was when I was in graduate school in the philosophy department at UT-Austin. I think I was protesting the war in Vietnam back then. Now things seem much worse. I do not have a copy of that first piece but I imagine it was much better than this short one.

The truth they are telling may only be the truth that is selling. “What is truth?” Ruth asked Naomi in the Megilath Ruth, and truth showed itself in Ruth following Naomi. Truth shows itself in actions and decisions … it is what we do that matters … not what we say. Truth shows itself.

Is the near death beating of Paul Pelosi a democratic conspiracy? Was what happened at the capitol an invasion or a peaceful demonstration? Who lied about having forbidden documents?  Are immigrants rapists and criminals or are they seeking a better life in this troubled land? How much worse must their home countries be?

While it is freezing in Dallas can climate warming be true? Is sea level rising? Are species being killed off? Is racism alive and well? Are rain forests disappearing? Is there balm in Gilead. “Quoth the raven, nevermore”(my apologies to Edgar Allan).

Truth shows itself to those willing to look and think. But in the metaverse, what seems to matter is what is being sold rather than what is actually happening.

On a side note, I recall my esteemed colleague, Prof. Norbert Seel, criticizing efforts to turn education into entertainment – called edutainment. Norbert was a serious scholar. My reaction to his criticism was to invent what I call edunishment – educational punishment. My argument was that effective learning often required hard effort … the punishment of serious and sustained inquiry associated with attaining deep understanding. I even told about when I was publicly humiliated but then realized deep truths I had overlooked. That kind of punishment by my favorite Professors, Spicker and Bouwsma,  led me to deep truths about myself and my lack of respect for what was happening in those two instances and what others present were thinking. I am such a slow learner … so often reacting rather than thinking.

Thought is not properly respected or rewarded these days in some many instances. Edutainment rules over edunisment. So be it. Laugh a lot and learn a little. Love more and hate less. It is so hard to live up to all of those ten commandments. Living up to one or two is not sufficient. It is all ten that matters … especially the second five, which seem the most difficult to respect and follow.

What is truth? Is it what they are telling and selling or is it something else? I have more questions than answers.

Mike Spector, January 30, 2023

A violent world

 

We live in a violent world as the daily news in many places easily documents. In Europe, Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine and mass killings of innocent civilians continues. In the USA, mass shootings of innocent people occur daily and pepper the evening news frequently. One can find examples of people killing other people in every corner of this planet, on every continent and in nearly every country. It is no secret that the human species has a long history of violence against other humans dating back to recorded time and stories of the origin of the species. That tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden turned out to be the tree of knowledge of war and acts of inhumanity.

Our species is now exploring space and the possible existence of civilizations in other parts of the universe. If advance organisms are found, I am curious to learn if they engage in such brutality against others and other members of their own species. Along with Edgar Allen Poe, I wonder if there is balm in Gilead as promised in the Jewish bible (Jeremiah 8:22). The Raven’s answer was “nevermore.” I honestly do not know.

However, the focus on people killing other people overlooks a larger threat to us all. Namely, the environment in which we live and occasionally thrive is deteriorating and threatening us all. Efforts to reduce gun violence and bring peace to our species overlooks the larger problem of our continued existence on this planet.

While I personally detest human violence and would like to see gun violence in my country and the state of Texas greatly reduced, I wonder at our inability to control or influence things within our potential control, such as gun violence and war, and our continued disregard to the environmental factors that influence our very existence. While the climate is at the far extreme of things we can influence, there are some things that could be done but are not even seriously considered. We are fighting the wrong enemy.

 

Mike Spector, January, 2023