The Basic Truths

Ideas are not radical. Ideas are expressions of deeper, inner thought which surface above the noise of life and are filtered into existence. "Idea men" are either considered genius or they are considered crazy, sometimes both or sometimes neither. For an idea to be happily accepted in our highly-processed, corn-syruped society, the idea must either promise millions of dollars in potential income; or, it must fall into a neat and safe strait-jacket of rules, niceties and boundaries.

The truth, sadly, in our modern life, has become an "idea." When one speaks the truth, others, less comfortable with it, will often say, "you have no idea what you are talking about;" and, they shake their heads, look to others who are also NOT in agreement and, quite often, they will laugh--a reaction which is based on the fear instinct. Laughing is a sign of fear, believe it or not.

The truth is in the eye of the beholder; and, the news we are fed is in the eye of the beholder. Fox News, CNN, ABC, CNBC, etc. are not in the business of reporting truths. The truth is not something that sells. In a similar way that doctors are beholden to drug-companies, so too are TV "news" execs beholden to viewer ratings: without them, they won't get advertising dollars and the "business" makes no sense. Truth being often boring needs to be twisted and sensationalized so that we, in the safety of our homes, can be entertained (see Tony Schwartz's writings on this matter).

There are so, so many resources for obtaining truth. Yet, this said, true truth gathering is a process that is learned; it comes with years of patience, critical analysis of the so-called facts (anyone putting forth a fact has an agenda, usually); and, it requires inquisitiveness: "why is that person saying that this is the truth?"

Sadly, so much of what is the truth makes the vast majority of us uncomfortable. We cannot deal with the raw, cold and often ugly facts of life which surround us so we always somehow find a disclaimer on the so-called truth: "ah, computer error, well, they will fix that error and all will be well." Perhaps, had the metro system in DC over the past 10 years not been running on a bare-bones budget indirectly caused by massive federal tax cuts, that "computer error" would not have occurred.

In this blog, which no one reads except for myself and a few other people, I am putting forth the truth of our life and on top of it I am adding sarcasm and consequence. I am imbibing the truth with cynsism for the purpose of reaching emotion. Without emotion, written words stand no chance against the bells, whistles and smoke screens of CNN, FOX and the other entertainment conglomerates.

The few who read this blog often call me a radical. I am not a radical. I study the life we all live with the eye of an anthropologist. I travel to many places and meet even more people. Having met them, I then begin to study their life, politics and culture until a foundation has been created from which further and proper analysis is made possible.

Then, I will return to their country, state or village and I meet them again but only now, with an enhanced understanding. Once, I feel comfortable, after having read thousands of pages about them and having had dozens of meals with them and conversations, I dare to espouse something which may begin to resemble a truth.

That is what this blog (a blog I write for my future children so they can know I was active, albeit in a relatively passive way), is all about. It is about truth. To those not in agreement with me, to those made uncomfortable by my words, to those for whom I am a radical, I say, dig beyond the piping-hot servings of infotainment and search for the truth. It is available. Our great American society permits us to have the real truth in many forms at any time. All we have to do is ask, but, this requires action.

The truth is often inconvenient, to borrow from Al Gore--an idea man many consider nuts (I consider a genius). Life is complex and difficult and so often there is simply no time for finding the truth; if this be the case, then I merely suggest that rather then pooh-pooh the "ideas" of someone not in agreement with you, listen and consider them; after all, they are making a contribution and never can thought be a bad thing in our modern, American world.

In the following 10 blogs, 10 truths will be put forth for consumption, consideration and discussion. Each one will make many uncomfortable. From these future postings, I gain nothing but a sense of satisfaction that the God-given powers of observation and analysis granted to me are being put to use, for better, for worse, for me, for someone, for my future children; to use.