What Will We Sacrifice For Truth

There is a lot of talk about truth out there these days.

The value of truth is a significant and vital subject. Libraries are full of musings and philosophizing on the subject of truth.

Our beliefs are full of “truths.”

The Truth is a hard problem.

Truth is an existential domain of utmost concern.

If one wants a culture based on truth, one has to imagine what that is, its structures and systems, and what we base our truth claims on, etc., and fight. 

What are we willing to sacrifice to build a truth-based order?

The trickster is in the detail.

Generally Speaking

If one wants the truth, one must sacrifice some hours away from diversions reading about dark psychology, propaganda, public relations, marketing, and advertising, and one must constantly upgrade one’s critical thinking skills in a disciplined way.

Although it is a difficult process and taxing on one’s habits, one must be committed to seeing complex issues and cultures from various perspectives.

One must kill the parrots on one’s shoulders, shouting in one’s ears. Find a peaceful place to assess one's own thoughts, ideas, and feelings critically and honestly.

Will we sacrifice two hours of screen time a week to organize a community meeting to discuss what a truth-based culture is, why it’s desirable, and how we might make it happen? How receptive are our family, friends, and community to such pursuits?

We struggle to gain control over one addiction, to change one bad habit, to have one uncomfortable face-to-face conversation about a complex topic.

We are so confident in our point of view that we dismiss anything unfamiliar.

Are we not curious?

Are we willing to sacrifice our popularity to speak the truth to social influencers, upset the superfans, guard against audience capture, and build a truth-focused culture?

Would we sacrifice our lives to take power away from the oligarchs or for posterity?

We are more than willing to sacrifice freedom and democracy, serving the Players of The Great Game for money, status, and attention.

We are more than willing to sacrifice life on the altar of belief.

Self-sacrifice is essential to winning a revolution and replacing the old order with something more just and sustainable.

In perpetuity, we’d have to sacrifice daily to maintain and improve a truth-based culture.

It’s painful to face the truth. (cognitive dissonance)

We talk about “the hard problem of consciousness;” creating a new, truth-based culture is even more challenging than defining consciousness.

It will require sacrifice.

Unfortunately, too many people can’t make the connection between defeating global, neoliberal, rules-based, financialized, late-stage capitalism, which is an omnicidal, war-mongering heat engine enabled by fossil fuels, technology, and constantly manufactured consent with sacrifice.

We won’t sacrifice a minute away from the computer game because we are well entertained, feed on junk, and equate this with righteousness.

The firehose of information we parrot and the toys the bosses sell us will not save us from lies; sacrifice will.