“Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies” Friedrich Nietzsche(1844-1900). The social proclivity to stray away from questioning one’s learned beliefs–let alone act upon shroud moral inclination, is highly suggestive to the fact that most people opt to avoid the opposition. One may argue that this mechanism for being derives from a place of seeking order and familiarity in a vast world that seemingly was imposed on us since birth. From the moment of first breathe, absolute autonomy had been denied from the vulnerable individual. Leaving them forced to rely on a higher power ie the thing; the essence to that which was in close proximity(in this case the mother) for survival..
Perhaps if we were turtles we would be better equipped to handle the afflictions of life. The Sea Turtle is thrust into the world like a human being, but that is where commonality comes to a halt. Recognizing, as to know that they fall prey to natural selection, as newborns they quickly acclimate into the breath of the unknown, relying only upon themselves to reunite with their lost kin in the open ocean. That is their reality, and conceivably their nature, to be fiercely independent. In comparison, human babies act in accordance to reactionary terms. Our predisposition is to react and then adopt what is most convenient, similar to the actions in which allowed self-preservation as infants.
One does not assert that they intrinsically know, but rather relatively adopt a way in which best aligns with their current understanding. Thus, internalizing an adopted paradigm and presenting that as their law. This is the kind of functionality that gave birth to religious dogma and even to some extent the knowledge gained through philosophical reasoning. Both serve as a designation toward the means of higher truth, whether it be written in sacred scripture or pondered by great modern thinkers. So the assumption that there is a definitive method that is more “reliable” than the other is a faulty claim to authority, when taking into account the human psyche. Like most general beliefs, truth lay victim to the relentless claws of subjectivity.
However, this sort of conclusion is painful for many and frankly presents itself to be threatening to those who have woven the fabric of their religion into an absolute reality. In the context of Modern-Day America, religion now transcends the narrative of a hippy dippy metaphysical idea of a God-like power, and into the realm of an ethos governed by the propositions of “Justice” and identity politics. Cultus that now include the persecution of anyone who threatens a certain ideal, while aggressively retweeting a post that coincides to the individual’s agenda. This attempt to power and call to significance does not delineate far from the kind demonstrated within the confines of historic context. Religiously powerful groups, authoritative rulers and whole governments seemed to all go to violent extremities to uphold their beliefs and enforce a kind of ideological manipulation. Thus misrepresenting faith and replacing it with a psychological protocols of being.
Seeming all too sinister, one has to wonder if the prerogative was truly world domination they were after, or just a sick hunger for false gratification in the form of control. Soren Kierkegaard(1813-1855) had noted that “people demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use” The desire to be acknowledged, to be heard, and to be accepted is so potent in the hearts of man. That the pursuit of truth is easily bypassed by the pursuit in affirming one’s place in the world. Indeed it is the underlying nuance of an existential crisis that really sear at the fragile ego.
By proclaiming conceptual objectivity to one’s beliefs, one is able to avoid the despondency of not understanding the nature of reality in the first place. The act of interpreting one’s reality does not necessarily possess malintent nor is it unjustifiable. (Forgive me for the rhetoric) But what is the true value of life, if the life lived is out of ignorance? Devoid of purpose or direction, the lost soul may misconstrue a paved path as a means to their own destination, all the while missing the signs alluding to a dead end. Out of all people, Nietzsche would understand the extent to which ignorant bliss facilitates. In his words, “Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders.” Friedrich Nietzsche often held a tone of remorse to his claims on existing. His life was full of strife and ended in travesty. Yet he stands to be one of the most prolific philosophers of this time and demonstrates the human capacity to transcend expectations of passivity and of being subject to the at the whims of society. And so the philosopher’s plight of becoming becomes everso increasingly convoluted.
In moments of dire straits where the collective alters into that who succumb and thrive upon deception, that is where philosophical reasoning comes into high contention. That is when it is needed the most. Not as an answer to some kind of divine intervention. But a crux that allows us to analyze our inner humanistic capacity for resilience and change. This is significant to the present day zeitgeist because to know is to have power, and the power wielded by the one who possesses will dictate future outcomes..