The Truth is Out There...
Recently, while watching X-files (again) with Richel, I noticed how Fox Mulder was always getting in to trouble with his superiors, with the government, and with everything in general. For example, in the episode "Tooms" he testified in court that the criminal was over 100 years old, killing people every 30 years before going into a hibernation state and reawakening in another 30 years to kill, again. The criminal was someone who looked to be no older than 25 years old. Consequently, the judge freed the criminal because Mulder sounded like a ranting lunatic and lost credibility with his superiors and with the court.
But why is that? Mulder's quest throughout the X-files was to uncover the truth and he did his best to expose the truth to everyone. It seemed like the more he did that, the more he got in to trouble, the more he was ridiculed and discredited. While watching the show, it's easy to see who in fact is correct and who isn't. It's also frustrating to see how Mulder and others like him are repeatedly downtrodden by society for telling the truth.
Why is it so hard to believe the truth? Because it's easier to go on believing in the lie.
This realization came to me while talking with Q on the phone one day. People don't want to hear the truth, especially people you have just met. They would rather hear and believe in the nice little white lies that people tell from day to day. And it's true, as I have come to learn through my work and experiences.
A classic example is when your coworker comes up to you and says, "Hi, how's it going?" And if you're having a bad day, your coworker doesn't want to hear about it. They don't want to hear,
"It sucks! I'm mad at the world today." No, especially if they're just aquaintances at work. If they're a close friend, maybe you can get away with that. But what everyone wants to hear is,
"It's going great, thanks!" even though it's not. It's almost like a classic answer these days. And it's not just the answer that should be focused on, either. The mere question itself is also somewhat of a lie. When we ask someone how their day is going do we really want to stop in the hallway as we rush from room to room and hear about all the disasters that are going on in someone's life? No, we don't. We don't want to hear them and in fact we expect the classic answer. Or, as every husband knows when your wife asks you if she looks fat, the answer is no. Even if she were to weigh 400 lbs., the answer is still no.
This concept, that people would rather believe in the lie than hear the truth, transcends the basic niceties and social decorum we display in public on a day-to-day basis. It encompasses everyone from every culture, every age, every social class, every religion, every aspect of life, and every situation whether it's in the office hallway, in the park, or in the courtroom.
To translate this to my world, no one wants to hear that the medical director of a hospital has political agendas and would do anything including lie and conspire to achieve his ultimate goals, even when concrete evidence and documentation supports that claim. People would rather believe in the lie, that there are no political agendas or conspiracy regardless of the proof, because it's easier to believe that.
Now I'm not condoning lying, but why do we as a society place so much importance on telling the truth, then if no one wants to hear it?
But why is that? Mulder's quest throughout the X-files was to uncover the truth and he did his best to expose the truth to everyone. It seemed like the more he did that, the more he got in to trouble, the more he was ridiculed and discredited. While watching the show, it's easy to see who in fact is correct and who isn't. It's also frustrating to see how Mulder and others like him are repeatedly downtrodden by society for telling the truth.
Why is it so hard to believe the truth? Because it's easier to go on believing in the lie.
This realization came to me while talking with Q on the phone one day. People don't want to hear the truth, especially people you have just met. They would rather hear and believe in the nice little white lies that people tell from day to day. And it's true, as I have come to learn through my work and experiences.
A classic example is when your coworker comes up to you and says, "Hi, how's it going?" And if you're having a bad day, your coworker doesn't want to hear about it. They don't want to hear,
"It sucks! I'm mad at the world today." No, especially if they're just aquaintances at work. If they're a close friend, maybe you can get away with that. But what everyone wants to hear is,
"It's going great, thanks!" even though it's not. It's almost like a classic answer these days. And it's not just the answer that should be focused on, either. The mere question itself is also somewhat of a lie. When we ask someone how their day is going do we really want to stop in the hallway as we rush from room to room and hear about all the disasters that are going on in someone's life? No, we don't. We don't want to hear them and in fact we expect the classic answer. Or, as every husband knows when your wife asks you if she looks fat, the answer is no. Even if she were to weigh 400 lbs., the answer is still no.
This concept, that people would rather believe in the lie than hear the truth, transcends the basic niceties and social decorum we display in public on a day-to-day basis. It encompasses everyone from every culture, every age, every social class, every religion, every aspect of life, and every situation whether it's in the office hallway, in the park, or in the courtroom.
To translate this to my world, no one wants to hear that the medical director of a hospital has political agendas and would do anything including lie and conspire to achieve his ultimate goals, even when concrete evidence and documentation supports that claim. People would rather believe in the lie, that there are no political agendas or conspiracy regardless of the proof, because it's easier to believe that.
Now I'm not condoning lying, but why do we as a society place so much importance on telling the truth, then if no one wants to hear it?
posted by V-Hume at 10:19 AM
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