The Truth, Again

The Truth.

What good is it?

Can it set you free?

Perhaps.

Let's say, for example, that I had definitive proof of a major conspiracy within the government of the USA. This proof would find guilty more than half of the members of congress, the senate, and the white house.

Now, provided I was able to broadband the information to as much of the country as possible before the men in black came for me, what has the truth gotten me? Probably not so free, with that hood over my head in Guantanamo.

Or, perhaps, is it just KNOWING the truth? At what point are you free?

There's an old saying about knowledge being power. There's another old saying about knowledge being a source of unhappiness- and thus, the inverse: ignorance is bliss.

See where this is going? Possibly that there are the unhappy powerful and the blissful powerless? Yeah. Too easy a jump to make, but a tempting one none the less.

I feel like this all comes back to the hypocrisy of our existence. The major aspect of this, we're intelligent, sentient, emotional creatures who at least in theory think that killing is wrong- however, our existence is directly linked to killing animals and plants so that we can eat them. What other hypocrisy do we have to accept? Our lack of free will, and our own denial of this fact? Our animal level desires and our high-level learned behavior which dissuades it? Which one is the salad fork?

It is not uncommon for me to go on and on here about pretty much the same subject, but in a different way. All of my ramblings center around a world in which people continue to get by most of the time and continue (as always) to think that they're somehow special, or better, or "the one". Perhaps a uniquely Mmerikkan mindset.

If we are all thinking sentient beings, how do we tolerate those who may never make it through such simple lessons as all of us are equal, no viewpoint is better, no religion is the 'right' one? How can a level playing field be set when people who lack human compassion can take advantage of the system to their own benefit?

Are the supposed 'millions' of welfare mothers who drain our precious tax dollars away really any worse than the very few politicians who come and bleed us dry- and then blame our tax shortfalls on such strawman arguments as welfare?

And then on to my viewpoint.

We are thinking animals, capable of both intricate design and ham-fisted destruction. We set forth the idea that there must be something higher than just eating, sleeping, working, reproducing, and buying stuff at the mall. Certainly each person has their idea of what this 'something more' is... and I am not talking about god or anything lame like that. If we are here to assure the continued progression and betterment of the human being in this universe, how can anything 'progress' if we are led by liars, robbed by liars, and continue in a pattern of existence which has not dramatically changed for thousands of years?

The problems of the ancient greeks are the same problems we face today- the ever-present fallibility of the human being and their selfish nature, and how these problems continually manifest themselves in society.

It only takes one person to ruin a good thing. There's one in every crowd. Opinions are like assholes. Tall dark and handsome.

If the religious are to be our example, we are doomed, again, as Scott Adams points out, if 2/3rds of the world trult believed their god would mash them to a pulp for an eternity if they did not give to the poor, help their brother, etc, there would be no homelessness, starvation, etc. Religion on a large scale is not a vehicle for dispensing salvation, it is a tool of control.

If the government if to be our example, we are screwed even worse, as evidenced by every politician who has ever lived- they lie, they break promises, they don't do what they're supposed to, and they smile for the camera and get a long, boring memorial service on every channel when they croak.

If our schools are to be our salvation, we're screwed again- the policial machine takes every chance it can get to under-fund and retard our schools. Keeping the populace excited about buying stuff, fearful of losing that stuff, fearful of each other, and ignorant is a great way to assure they won't come after you with pitchforks and torches when they figure out how much of their tax money you have wasted.

I'm realizing I haven't been making much of a point. [sigh]

The ball of string is too big, and I can't but describe little sections of it at once.