"Special Truth" - A House of Cards

Do you remember the last instance in which  you met someone with some special truth or another?  How did the conversation go?  What effect did it have on you?  Did you feel built up and affirmed or did you feel left out and deflated?

Recently I met such a person--one with special truth.  In fact I met several within a two week period.  One had the answer to all of our family's health needs.  Another had special truth that would meet our spiritual needs.  Then there was the one whose candidate would fix Washington D. C.  Then there was the one who had special insight into investments and his program would give the follower durable wealth in turbulent times.

Certainly there are more than were just listed--people who claimed special truth, special insight, superior ideas, or some similar thing.  However, upon closer examination, it seems to me that there are pitfalls into which the one with "special" or "exclusive private" truth might fall if great care is not exercised.

Disclaimer:  Before continuing perhaps it would be well if consideration is given to the fact that there are legitimate truths that are unique.  

First, there are truths which are unique in that they are universally true across the earth and throughout time. 

These truth are unique because they can be objectively applied. 

These truth share a third quality and that is that they are transcendent, that is from outside of the human experience. 

The final quality is that they are generally accessible and not at all the private property of a special few.

As well, consider that the elements of this disclaimer are a way to examine the veracity of a particular "truth" for if such a truth does not meet these four standards plus one more we will consider in a moment, it very likely that such truth will not stand the acid test of time.  

It is also to be noted that this is not a matter of one offering this opinion or that and thus goes well beyond the exchange and examination of ideas or thesis.

Presuppositions

 The question that one must take to the discussion is the matter of what does one suppose to be true for such "special" truth to be genuine and real.  Much of the power of special truth and/or superior truth is decided by what one holds to have veracity and thus be taken as foundational truth.

An example would be the conspiracy theorist who holds that they have special truth about some international banking cartel that is in control of the world money supply.  Another example would be that government is in a clandestine operation to remove a citizens personal rights.  

In terms of religious faith, it is the one or the many who believe that God has given them some "special" revelation or another. For example one group holds in high regard their translation of the Bible which is at variance with Hebrew and Greek rules of grammar.  These and other suppositions are not without consequence in one's relationship with the foundations of genuine truth.

Entrapped by Special Truth

As sure as an animal can be entrapped in a net, so too there is the danger of being entangled in one's special truth.  This is the situation in which a person is so caught in their suppositions and the resulting truth paradigm(s) that insights into reality are colored deeply by this special truth. Just as an animal struggles to be free to only become more tangled in the net so too this person except that they do not struggle to be free.

This is not the kind of truth that liberates and grants a freedom of insight but one which restricts and holds in it clutches all other thoughts and views.  It is that truth that indeed traps the one who embraces it.  It soon becomes the paradigm through which all other notions and ideas are measured and when facts to the contrary are offered there is a certain selective perception or even loss of touch with reality.

Loss of Reality

One of the very serious outgrowths of special or superior truth is an unrealistic view of the possible.  It goes so far as to present as a loss of touch with what is realistic.  One such position is that of the person who votes for a particular candidate although there is no possible way for their candidate to carry the election.  Two examples from the political past is the presidential candidacy of Ross Perot and/or Ralph Nader.  

 

Both of these men against all the data presented still in all seem to believe that they could be elected as president of the United States of America.  Never mind that even their own poll numbers would not support their contention.  

Thus they developed followings who also lost a realistic perspective. All that happened in the case of Mr. Perot was that the conservative vote was split and the election went to the candidate who was the polar opposite of the ideas upon which he campaigned.   

The prevailing attitude seemed to be then and now is that all one needs to do is to vote consistent with their particular political agenda.  Again, at times superior truth tends to mitigate against being realistic.  There is a very real danger that this could happen again in the next election. 

Excluded by Exceptional Truth 

Another of the problems associated with this special truth is that of exclusion.  Such excluding may be as overt as discrimination and shunning or a subtle as simply avoiding.  It is brought about by a certain pride on the part of the one embracing such truth.

This exclusion is based in the notion that if one does not embrace such special and exceptional truth they are to be viewed as being religiously, politically, intellectually, ethically, or in some other way inferior.  This only serves to divide people and especially so when one's emotions and attitudes enter the discussion.

The outcome is that the proponents of that exceptional truth "circle the wagons" and begin to fend off outsiders and then feed off of one another with the consequence that convictions deepen.  The problem is that one become so enmeshed that to think one's way out is nearly impossible.  Not that they would want to as it would bring rejection by their referent group.

Superior Truth's Permission

Another attitude which frequents those with superior truth is that of permission.  This is the notion that because of a superior truth one is not bound by nor governed by the principles of those with lesser truth.  

For example one with superior truth might believe they have permission to deal in falsehood.  The prime example of this is found in the political extreme left who believe that because of their superior truth paradigm regarding government that they have permission to create and distort statistics.


It is not the extreme political left alone for certain religious cults believe that they have superior revelation that is not available to most.  Such superior revelation then grants permission to do what is necessary to put their superior truth forward to including being less than truthful.  

Of course should one "join up" by the time that they can see the distortion of the truth they will fall into one of two positions.  They might well buy into the notion of superior truth and in principle if not fact agree with the notion that the ends justify the means.  The second is born out of the fear of being shunned.  In either case they stay engaged and over time become more deluded.

Consider a Question or Two

So it is that  the original four principles of truth come again to the fore.  Here is the question.  

Is that which you believe universally true across the earth and throughout time; can it be objectively applied; is it transcendent, that is from outside of the human experience; and is it generally accessible and not the private property of a special few?  

We might add another and that is the question of the foundation of that truth.  Does that foundation share the four aforementioned qualities?  Durable truth does!

For a person's truth paradigm to not fulfill these five criterion it seems to me that then the life is as fragile as a house of cards.  So much the more so if it is so fragile that it has to shield itself from criticism with claim terms such as superior, special, or exceptional.

Finally, there is a truth that will liberate and set free.  There is a truth that will entrap and confine.  Which kind of truth have you built your life upon?