The truth is in here

February 19, 2006 | Comment icon

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I am not a Democrat, and I am not a Republican. I do not believe that democracy is practiced in this nation, and I do not believe that there is beast such as a compassionate conservative. I believe in the right of the people, by the people, and for the people. I believe that there are things that we do not now know and that we never will know. I believe in the Truth – capital T – and that it is not “out there” so much as it is in here, with us. Then again, I believe a lot of things, and they may not be things you believe. The internet affords a unique freedom of information not shared by any culture previous to ours. Anyone with a computer and a checking account can log on and immediately find a community to which they belong. Like seeing freshly-shorn sheep wearing bondage gear? You’ve got it. Interested in the separation of church and state, or the lack thereof, in Ancient Rome? It’s here. Have a face-like growth on your back?

Welcome to the Face-Like Growth Newsgroup. If you will forgive my flippant attitude, I simply want to make a point: that, because of the freedom of the internet, because of a relatively recent ebb and flow of free-to-cheap knowledge, there is a community for everyone, for people who believe anything. Community. Put in simplest terms, it means “to live together.” Pretty basic concept, huh?Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The right to swing your fist ends where another man’s nose begins.” The wise social philosopher, it seems, saw the problems of community and the rights afforded therein, and, in the case of the internet, he foresaw them. Sure, he did not know the lovely cyber-colloquialisms like “flame” or “troll,” but he most certainly understood the strength in maintaining tact when tactlessness my have caused a dispute. He understood that, to not always voice disbelief in the face of belief was a good thing, and that there was a difference between debate and argument. One is a discussion, based on logical grounds, of two parties’ disagreement on a matter. Argument is groundless, baseless, a dispute for dispute’s sake. Emerson understood these were the things that tore communities apart. Well, it is what he believed, anyway.Belief is an odd thing, so wrapped up in faith, at times, that the easiest way to argue your conviction by saying nothing more than, “I just do.” It may be a picture. It may be a firsthand witnessing. And, it may be nothing more than a gut feeling. For some reason, though, you believe in whatever you believe for your own reasons. Other people may not – and statistically do not – share your opinion. Obvious, you say. And I agree.

The problem, you see, is this: Your right to disbelieve ends where another’s right to believe begins. It is not my – or your – responsibility to discount what any other person in this patchwork global culture has chosen to believe. Whether you believe in God, Allah, angels, demons, UFO’s, cryptids, ancient advanced cultures, or that jars of olives are staring at you, you have the right to hold that tiny bit of faith close to your heart and no one else has the right to confront you. This is what tears communities apart.So, if you believe that Bigfoot exists but that UFO’s are crazy, that is perfectly alright, but do not go over to the UFO guys and girls and say, “You’re nuts.” If you believe that the world is being secretly run by the Illuminati, but you think that Chupacabras is a tequila-induced hallucination, good for you. That does not give you the right to wander over to a believer and say, “Los chupacabras y su madre son estúpidos.”We are a community founded on the desire to believe, and there is nothing more human than to seek answers. Let others look for their own while you look for yours, and, as a community, we will only grow stronger. Transport yourself with honesty, with openness, and with the willingness to debate – not argue – and we will only be the better for it. After all, in humanitas, decorum.
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