When the Foundation of Truth Crumbles the Edifice of Justice Falls

 The last few weeks have highlighted the deep divides in America. We all knew America was deeply divided, but I'm guessing most didn't expect this level of division. We're not just divided over policies of economics and taxation, crime and punishment, or gender and sexual rights. Our divisions apparently go much, much deeper. 

Now, we have very large groups in American supporting Hamas and their recent horrific crimes. To be fair, many of these supporters deny that Hamas carried out the horrors they are accused of, despite the overwhelming evidence. But, ought we to be surprised? Some Americans have been creating their own faulty narratives for years. 

Some groups deny the truth of the holocaust, some the truth of slavery's horrors, and others the truth of election results, despite wide evidence in each case. And these are big examples. How many hundreds and thousands of "smaller" things are Americans denying, despite the evidence? Come to think of it, I'm not at all surprised so many in America support Hamas. 

Postmodern philosophy prides itself on rejecting objective truth. What's true for you is true for you and what's true for me is true for me. Well, look around you and see the results of that ridiculous philosophy. When we as a society reject objective truth, anarchy is the inevitable result. We ought not be surprised to see the chaos we're seeing in the world. 

Even courtrooms are affected by this widespread rejection of truth. Juries, and judges, to be fair, are persuaded now less by concrete facts and more by the persuasiveness of storytellers. Justice depends on truth, so until people are willing to deal in facts, no matter how ugly, justice cannot prevail. 

I'm terribly saddened by the horrors happening in Israel and Palestine. I'm deeply disturbed over the innocents, on both sides of the divide, who are suffering because of this millenniums long hatred between peoples. I don't know how this conflict should be resolved, but I do know one thing. It'll never be resolved without a commitment to deal only with the truth, on both sides. 

Truth is the foundation of justice. A simple glance at all the atrocities in America's past will reveal an origin for each: rejection of objective truth. If we want to begin turning hearts away from hatred and towards true justice, we must begin by embracing truth.