Because I feel it, it makes it true. This morning as I ran through the park and saw the trash spilling out of the trash cans and saw various cups, cans, and empty bags, I felt that it was a busy weekend. Not only that I felt that people were not respectful to each other and there must have been a lot of arguing. I decided that the park's general disrepair contributed to the anger and that the city of Abilene did not care about the problems of both the condition of the park and the mean, rotten people. As I continued to run I felt that the politicians in Abilene and probably all politicians did not really care about the good, productive citizens of the world and did not feel any kind of responsibility toward caring for the park's condition nor providing an environment for families and people who get along. Because these were my feelings as I ran this morning, they must be true. But of course the assumptions I made were completely false and an entire fabrication of my own fanciful thinking. Truth is that the park is a welcoming environment where most people are careful to throw away their trash and the leaders of Abilene deeply care about its citizens.
How often do we allow our feelings, our emotions, our mood govern our perception of the truth? Too often, I'm afraid. The human experience is one of emotional reaction to a stimulus, and in spite of claiming objectivity, we allow our feelings to govern our thoughts. Not that all feelings are wrong, often they dictate are actions and our perceptions. Over the years, I have learned to appreciate and honor the feelings of people around me, particularly family members. Although she occasionally overstates a situation, my wife is usually correct about her perceptions of others and circumstances. It is hard to admit, but I was completely wrong when my son's stomachache turned out to be appendicitis. Had she not insisted we go to the hospital...I cannot continue this thought except to say I am thankful she insisted.
But a mother's instinct aside, in my academic world I am surprised how many times people base truth on how they feel at the moment. One could argue this is the natural human approach and to disparage it is to dehumanize others, but in the end truth should win the race and those seeking after truth will be the leaders of tomorrow. Fanciful thinking is fun and can be parlayed into novels, stories, drama, and great art, but creativity should not replace accurate reporting or truth.
