One day, while contemplating this challenge to know the truth, I was reminded of an incident in 2004 in the outskirts of Toronto. I was convinced at the time that I knew the truth, so even though I struggled with thoughts of worry, fear, shame, guilt, and a plethora of other debilitating emotions, outwardly I appeared to have it all together.
Knowing the truth that makes us free is more complicated than we first thought. Our minds were conditioned in childhood by emotional and traumatic experiences that activated fear. This fear prevents us from seeing clearly. It has us wired to view things not as they are, but as the fear and insecurity in our minds wants and needs things to be.
The inability to unbiasedly seek out the truth often impacts us in ways that have enormous consequences on how we live. Think about how many people are willing to go to war for their country, or leave family and friends to go on a life-long mission in defense of their tradition.
We don’t have to move further than our social media posts to find proof of motivated reasoning. We are quick to share a link if it supports our religious or political beliefs, but either ignore the story or rigorously fact-check it if it doesn’t.
If you’ve ever watched the movie A Few Good Men, you’ll probably remember the courtroom drama between the fierce General Jessup (played by Jack Nicholson) and the lazy lieutenant and defense lawyer Kaffee (played by Tom Cruise). In a heated exchange, Kaffee demands to know the truth. After a slight pause and with a furious look on his face, Jack Nicholson’s character forcefully shouts back, “You can’t handle the truth!”
