Facts

We live in an age of subjective equivocation. It is the Age of the Victim. While I think Mr. Romney, the former U.S. Presidential contender, expressed this concept poorly during the recent campaign, I do think he was on to something.

 

Equivocation can be a way to avoid responsibility or accountability. "Yes, but..." is a common childish defense when caught doing something antisocial or criminal. Understanding why someone does something is simply that. Understanding. It is not necessarily an excuse of responsibility.

 

It is perhaps the role of defense attorneys to link the sociopathic violence of drug dealers to generational poverty and even big historic phenomena, like slavery. However, the facts are plainer. Criminals choose to make money off human misery at great expense to society.

 

Seeking the facts of my own life can be a sobering activity in itself. What part have I played in my current life situation? How much of the good in my life is a matter of fortunate coincidence? How much of the unpleasantness of my life is my own doing? Am I taking proactive responsibility for things which could be made better in my life? What factual evidence backs up the answers to these questions?

 

Personal truth can be delusion, illusion or clear vision. It helps to remain skeptical about my own monologues about my personal history and my current situation in life. Are they mindless litanies, entrenched in old thinking about my life? Are they based in facts which have been tested with the more objective opinions of other people who look at my life and honestly share what they see?

 

The skepticism of the secular humanist, based in an understanding of scientific method, is best applied first to the humanist's own life. Tearing down the false gods of ego in the mind's temple is the first step to liberation. Proceeding into the light of factual truth is the first step to some form of enlightenment. No magic or shortcuts can get me there. It is a lifelong process of discovery, disappointment and joy. All it requires is the courage to practice it.