“Follow the Truth, wherever it leads.” was the mantra of Antony Flew. Dr. Flew was the worlds most pominent Athiest for half a century starting in the late 1950’s . I do not think the quote is originally his, but he used it expertly, and followed it religiously. So why am I challenging you to follow the advice made famous by an atheist? There are 2 reasons.
- Because a quest for anything less than the truth, is a lie. A lie is a lie, even when you tell it to yourself.
- Following the truth will require far more courage that convincing yourself of what you want to believe. There’s that darn courage word again.
But let us consider that second reason (reason with the reason). All of us at times, perhaps most of the time, start from what we want to be true and go about proving it. Why? Because what we believe, even in insignificant things, determins what we can choose to do or not do. If we can “reason” our way to the belief we want, we are in control, and control is power. Human beings love power, even if it is just over our own daily decisions.
Now you may argue tha the “truth” is not always so apparent. I would tend to disagree in most cases. I’m not going to recite the entire story here, but my challenge regarding the truth is summed up in the very short tale by Hans Chritian Andersen: The Emperor’s New Clothes. Follow the link. You can listen to it or read it, but don’t skip it. Only go on if you are 100% sure you have the courage to tell emperors they are naked.
Even if, or especially if, the Emporer is you.
