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Ignorance is bliss?
injest:
the problem is that 'truth' is subjective sometimes.
and then sometimes the truth is hidden and we don't have the resources to determine what really is the truth.
Think about Iraq. Some people say we are winning. Others say we are losing...some say the Iraqis want us there...others say they want us out...
how can you know what is the truth? and maybe they are both true...
David In Indy:
--- Quote from: injest on September 12, 2007, 11:00:17 pm ---the problem is that 'truth' is subjective sometimes.
and then sometimes the truth is hidden and we don't have the resources to determine what really is the truth.
Think about Iraq. Some people say we are winning. Others say we are losing...some say the Iraqis want us there...others say they want us out...
how can you know what is the truth? and maybe they are both true...
--- End quote ---
I have found that most people will believe just about anything, especially if it's something they want to hear. And therein lies the problem. It's all about perception. If you tell me my Honda is really a Boeing 747, and if I WANT to believe it is a Boeing 747, I will convince myself what you just told me is accurate and the truth. Okay. That's a bit extreme, but you get the idea.
Look at those weight loss ads on television. If you watch them closely, you will see a little message, very small and very faint which reads "results not typical" and a bunch of fine print too small to read even with a molecular microscope. But we all know what it says. Basically it says "This is a bunch of crap and you're a big blithering fool if you buy it", but people buy it anyway. They pop those pills and drink those shakes and spend hundreds of dollars doing it. And they think to themselves "Oh, isn't this stuff wonderful! It really works!" not realizing that the whole time they are doing this, they are also eating sensibly and exercising frequently. So, what really caused their weight loss? Those magic milk shakes? No! They lost weight because they started doing something they should have been doing all along: eating healthy meals and exercising. But they were told it was because of those pills and milkshakes, and in their minds it is the TRUTH. But if you try to tell them otherwise, they will lambast you with an entire litany of reasons why you are wrong.
Some people will tell you there is a God. Others will tell you the whole thing is a fairy tale. So what's the truth? It all depends on what you believe. If you believe it, it is the truth. If not, it's a lie. It's all about perception.
moremojo:
--- Quote from: notBastet on September 12, 2007, 10:33:16 pm ---what's the line in the declaration of indepence: "We hold these _____ to be ____" is there something about truth in there, or am I misremembering?
--- End quote ---
"We hold these truths to be self-evident..."
In the Gospels, Pontius Pilate asks Jesus at one point (perhaps rhetorically) "What is truth?", to which no reply is recorded. Truth is an elusive entity, but I do believe an objective truth exists, which we will probably never fully grasp in this life. It remains a worthwhile pursuit, though, and is one of the goals that can invest life with meaning and purpose.
Shakesthecoffecan:
Ignorance is bliss, but we never know to enjoy it.
The truth is often painful, but it is inevitable. Gemme the truth, before it goes on any longer and therefore more painful to take.
opinionista:
This topic reminds me of my grandmother. My grandma suffers from short term memory loss as a result of old age. She's 95 years old. When my grandfather died, we gave her the news. She cried for one second, then forgot all about it and went about her business. Then we took her to the funerary home because we thought it was the right thing and that she would like to be there. It was her husband after all. When she saw my grandpa in the coffin, she would cry unconsolably, but then we would take out of the room, to the cafeteria or something, and she was happy talking about her usual stuff, though she would ask from time to time who died. My dad ended up deciding to left her at home with my aunt because there was no point in having her there. Up to this day she thinks my grandpa is out at the store, or visiting the next door neighbor. It is sad for us to see that but at the same time we are relieved that she is not suffering. So I suppose in certain situations, ignorance is bliss. But her memory has worsened and now she doesn't remember half of the family, except my dad and my aunt that are often with her. :-\
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