Truth

Truth: Gone But Not Forgotten…sigh

Philosopher Martin Heidegger had a career-long fascination with the concept of truth, not a bad source of intrigue for a philosopher. Rather than embracing some standard descriptions of truth, notably those that were content to define “truth” as correctness, Heidegger believed that a more accurate understanding of truth centered in unconcealment, making known that which had been hidden. The opposite of truth, then, would be hidden or obscure.

Heidegger’s insights about truth, the fundamental meaning of truth, as unconcealing or unhiding something is attention-getting in this murky fasci-Trump sea of lies called an American presidency. We are going blind because of all the darkness.

I still remember the utter fascination I felt the first time I visited the Lost Sea in Sweetwater, Tennessee, near where I grew up around Knoxville. It’s actually not a sea but the largest underground lake in the United States and the second largest in the world. It’s in a cave.

The tour guide was great, and I recall two things in particular compliments of him. One was the moment he called on the staff to turn off all lights. Have mercy! I’d never been in such absolute darkness. It was an emotional experience and not just a visual one.

The other was the fish. They had been swimming in mostly darkness for generations. As a result, they had no eyes. In the evolutionary processes, eyes became pointless for them so nature stopped producing them.

And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light and does not come to the Light, so that her or his deeds will not be exposed. But the one who practices the truth comes to the Light….

The Fourth Gospel in Christian scripture, chapter 3

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Evil Trump and his more evil puppeteers do not care if we love the darkness or not. But they want us in the darkness as much as possible, at all levels; in all respects. His administration is filled with ungifted, unremarkable, professionally unqualified appointees. The only task they have to be able to do well, and they do, is lie. They absolutely know if they keep us in the dark long enough we will go blind politically and ethically so that even if there are occasional rays of light we would not be able to see them.

Secularist that I’ve become, I remain a fan of Jesus of Nazareth and his teachings properly interpreted. One of the most well-known of Jesus’ teachings, even by those who don’t realize Jesus is the one who said this, is: the truth (aletheia) will make us free. For the longest time I did not delve into deeper meanings for that word; it did not occur to me that it meant anything more or needed to mean anything more than stating facts or embracing facts. Turns out, Jesus, long before Martin Heidegger, might’ve been on the same wavelength, and thus might’ve been telling his followers that until we can live unconcealed lives and unhidden lives fully, there is no freedom for us.

Trump and his MAGAts want to rob us of everything that would allow us to live fully authentic lives— with the best knowledge constantly revealed to us; with access to the best healthcare that allows us not to fear every illness or disease that comes along; with courage rather than fear to slam doors of damned darkened closets behind us for the rest of our lives; with fire to say, “We’re gray; ain't going away, bitches! We earned the right to love our senior years as much as we loved all the other stages of our lives, and we will not cower in the darkness, hoping you won’t see us, MAGAts and try to take something else away from us.“

Evil people conceal. Moral people reveal!