Truth-Obscuring Mindsets

 Every day feels like a new adventure in figuring out what the truth is. It can be unsettling to read about new studies which contradict what we what we were told a month ago. Were they wrong then? Are they wrong now? Why did a Lancet study use a bad data set?

It's actually encouraging for me to see people scrutinize the studies from even top journals. When ideas can compete, the truth can rise to the top.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of us choose to keep truth buried because we like our own deceptions better. Sometimes, we might even be right about the facts and still deceived because of our mindset about those facts.

Here's a list of seven feelings that make it hard for us to recognize truth.

1. Stubbornness. This one is obvious. Even though you are a smart person, you don't have a monopoly on knowledge. Just sit back and listen a little bit, and see if there's something you were wrong about before!

2. Smugness. If you see a group of people doing or saying something and you can't help but think, "Haha, look at all these sheeple. I'm so glad I'm not one of them!", well, I hate to break it to you, but it's pretty hard for truth to get through to you. A better approach would be to say, "Wow, I disagree with this, but a bunch of people I respect in other areas seem to believe this. Is there something I could learn?"

3. Self-centeredness. As soon as you make something about you, you also create a narrative. Once you have a narrative, you don't want to add facts to the narrative that might ruin the story! Well, as writers says, you should "kill your darlings" and get over yourself. We are humans, not characters in a book.

4. Shame. Guilt says, "I did something bad." Shame says, "I am bad." If you are feeling shame, then you are being deceived. You are not innately bad, no matter what you have done. And there's a good chance people who are telling you you are innately bad want your money.

5. Suppression. We should suppress racism. It should have no platform. But if you find yourself wanting to suppress other arguments simply because they contradict what your narrative, then you are probably more attached to that narrative than to actual truth. (Even if that narrative is 90% truth.) Again, ideas need a chance to compete.

6. Zeal. If you are a new convert to a cause, you might think that proves the truth of your new beliefs. After all, you showed a willingness to admit you were wrong before! However, I have seen that zealous people have a propensity to vigorously latch onto what they consider truth. And that's a personality trait, not an indicator of truth. If you feel really strongly about something, that says more about you than about if it's true. (Also, if you are a convert to a cause and bemoan your previous "smugness," you might want to make sure you're not transferring that smugness to your new cause.) 

Interestingly, in Doctrine and Covenants 50, the people who are described as being deceived are those who are converts who are trying to be good and spiritual. We can get deceived a lot of ways!

7. Contempt. If you think that other people are dumb and evil, then you will think any idea they come up with is dumb and evil. I see this happen over and over and it makes me so sad. How can you be open to truth if the ones you disdain are the ones to share it? 

In contrast, the scriptures teach,

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith." (Galatians 5:22)

That said, truth isn't comfortable. We might not feel peaceful when we hear it because it might contradict what we already know and like.

But it is good. And it is worth seeking for.