La Grenouille dans le Fauteuil

My thoughts, explorations and opinions about Music, Philosophy, Science, Family life; whatever happens. Shorter items than on my web site. The name of the blog? My two favorite French words. I just love those modulating vowels.

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Thursday, December 28, 2006

Fear not the Truth, O Shrub!

This is about George W. Bush.

From early age we are brought up to respect truth, and to value it, and to understand that it is the sole basis of safety. Separation from the truth comes either from mistakes, which will not work out as we wish and hope, - or from false understandings, which will betray us since they will betray us when we try to live by them, - or deliberate deception, which defeats trust and leads to retaliation, - or delusion, producing a catastrophic life without understanding, foolishness, even evil, being warmly embraced. The body of society has to protect itself against falsehood and deceit, whatever its motivation. There are white lies which, carefully measured, can avoid unnecessary pain without creating intolerable turmoil, but that is a skill that needs constant judgement.

The fact that from an early age we are taught by our parents to revere the truth lest we cause long term disaster, not avoiding it because of short term discomfort, shows that cleaving to the truth does not come naturally. Children at a young age learn to be manipulative through story-telling, and the story told is the one that is most immediately effective. In fact I believe that the main evolutionary purpose of language is as a tool to manipulate people. As an intrinsic feature of language, truth just doesn't enter into it. "Truth" is a much later discovery than language.

"I didn't do it. Billy did!" What a wonderful tool the toddler acquires! Similarly, parents with young children soon discover that doctrinaire adherence to the most comprehensive truth is simply inefficient. "You must go to bed because it is bedtime!" "Eat your carrots or you will get terrible diseases." as opposed to "well, studies show that a lack of hours of sleep leads to a lower level of psychological functioning, and therefore the strong probability that you will get upset and cry if Billy pushes you in the playground tomorrow." I mean, who has the time? What child would care? Which way is effective?

So as language and understanding emerges in the life of childhood, short-term manipulation is the obvious initial advantage. Truth telling doesn't immediately recommend itself; we have to be taught to respect truth. It gets to be built into us by our culture - like potty-training, nonviolence, not screaming in public, (please!!) all these sorts of things.

For most of us, truth swiftly recommends itself; as when an uncomfortable confession leads to clearing the air and a new level of trust; as when exposed dishonesty explains an intractable mystery and leads to reorganization; as when acceptance of unwelcome news avoids a worse future. So we come to respect truth after we learn to fear it. If we stay loyal to the truth, life may be painful, but not as bad as a life based on lies, since truth has teeth, vicious teeth, will not be denied, and has infinite patience. We cannot afford to fear it, else it will take its revenge.

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But some people do not seem to learn these lessons, and never get beyond the "truth is really a pest" stage. People like George W. Bush, who never succeeded in any business venture, but was always protected from the consequences of his ineptitude, who didn't even have to show up for his easy options during Vietnam, Dan Rather's career conveniently ending to protect him from that truth, who had national "swift-boat" thugs out there protecting him from any invidious (truthful) comparisons with other people in the public eye, and who lives in a bubble surrounded by Rove and Cheney and Co., protecting him from encountering any form of truth, - just constant "truthiness."

Why should Bush fear the truth? He has not had to deal with it. When it has threatened him, it has been conveniently removed. He has not yet found out the teeth that truth possesses.

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Most alarming of all, there is the issue of his alcoholism. He is a recovering alcoholic, there has been no attempt to hide that fact. I do not know the details of his recovery, but his current obsession with faith (as opposed to truth) would suggest that his progress was somewhat like that of the AA 12-step program. You will recall that one of the early steps is to put your trust entirely in a higher being. Or, if you do not believe in God, to put your trust in a higher being such as you conceive it to be. In other words, if you don't believe in God, make one up. Invent a fictitious personal guardian superman and then trust your entire life to this private fantasy. If this works, then your sobriety, your sanity, your life, depends upon unswerving commitment to a fantasy. This in turn requires that truth be blocked out. Truth destroys the fairy world, and shatters the foundations of sobriety. Maybe this works fairly harmlessly for a lot of people, but for the President of the United States in self-selected "I am a Wartime President" mode?

It is very clear that Bush does depend on his private religiose fantasies, not just as the basis of what he believes to be the case, but as the basis of his continued sober existence. He cares not a whit about the history of Iraq, the niceties of who actually attacked us in 2001, the true and real consequences of our presence in Iraq. There is no grasp of reality in refusing to talk to countries like Syria and Iran, and expecting that their response to non-communication and pouting will be to say "Oh, OK! We'll do what you want us to do." I mean, really!!! He seems totally unaware that he does not even know what they would say in negotiations. Language is not just about manipulation. It is also about the unexpected. Every conversation contains surprises. If it doesn't, there's no reason to say anything.

Bush, as a recovering alcoholic of a particular type, is personally dependent upon maintaining his illusory world of denial. He has to keep "God", - his imaginary little friend, - well-sustained, as he has no other basis for action. So our hope and bewildered expectation, as the news on the ground gets ever more grim, that W will sooner or later see sense, see reality, grasp the truth, confess that he cannot evade its teeth; all these hopes are fundamentally wrong. For much more is at stake than 3,000 American lives in Iraq, than the fate of America in the World, than hopes for peace among mankind and the easing of pointless stress between religions. No, something vastly more important than that is at stake - the peace of mind of George W Bush, a narcissist who has never learned a healthy fear of the truth. In weighing his options, real or otherwise, about what to do in Iraq, he has one over-riding goal, which has to prevail. How can he keep his religious delusions intact? That's it. So speaking the truth to Bush is pointless. It's not part of his world-system.

Truth has never helped him in his life, not in business, not in advancement, not in sobriety. Nor, till now, has it hurt him. Delusion has worked just fine so far. He will be loyal his constant companion.

Yet truth has teeth, and infinite patience, and, to use a turn of phrase with no religious intent; God help us all.


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