Truth: it is a commodity rarer than platinum, refined uranium, oil or the antimatter that fueled the plot behind “Angels and Demons.” And sadly, despite its importance, we show no signs of wanting the truth. If we ever want to get past all the foolish squabbles and major problems in our world, we must start by putting a greater value on the truth.
It shows in various “derangement” syndromes (Bush Derangement Syndrome, Clinton Derangement Syndrome, etc.), the latest of which seems to be Easley Derangement Syndrome.
Kevin Howell, the interim director of the alumni association, was a former lobbyist for Mike Easley, his hiring has elicited remarks about more cronyism and corruption.
Now don’t get me wrong: as I find out more about the Easleys’ back-room deals and sleazy maneuverings, I really start wishing Mike Easley had a name that lent itself to a catchy title like “Tricky Dick” or “Slick Willy” (or “Silent Cal,” but that really doesn’t fit). But I also believe everyone is innocent until the facts and truth prove otherwise. We should keep this in mind before passing judgment on Mr. Howell’s new employment.
Similarly, we should apply a focus on facts and truth to our justice system, where all are supposedly innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. As federal prosecutors are now looking to keep felons who are soon to be released from life sentences handed out in the 1970s, we need to ask ourselves if we are seriously taking the time to assess the facts and evidence accurately in pursuit of the truth. With the advent of DNA testing and other technologies, courts and science labs are exonerating people from years in prison and providing them the damning label of “ex-felon” upon their release. We have more ways of finding the truth than ever before — will we actually use them?
Perhaps we should turn and look at the ugly truth about our society. Should we tolerate a system that does not relentlessly pursue the truth in order to punish those who are actually guilty of a crime? Should we expect more from an institution that does little to even attempt to rehabilitate criminals into becoming productive contributors to our society? Do we want to bear the responsibility of falsely labeling someone as a criminal when emotions and demagoguery shape our verdict instead of evidence and reason?
And let’s not forget our generation of robber barons and political schemers. For the most part, we deserve to know exactly where our money is going when we invest it and have our financial geniuses and wizards tell us in relatively simple terms how the various financial instruments work. We are entitled to demand the truth from our government and hold it accountable, particularly when it lies about things like war, human rights violations, illegal espionage on citizens and potential conflicts of interest.
Ultimately, though, it really boils down to whether we want to live with the burden of the truth or flitter away in our fantasy lands where we always catch the REAL bad guy at the end of the show, the government is truly benevolent and the financial expert is someone we can trust with our money.
I’ll stick with the truth — will you?
