Chapter 4
TRUTH, or the Way Things Really Are
A shorter definition of truth is simply: Things as they really are.
Error, on the other hand, was also defined as: anything that deviates in any way from the truth.
This chapter builds on these two definitions to further flesh out the concept of TRUTH as it relates to both the physical and metaphysical world.
Universal Laws govern the acquisition of everything of value and worth that cannot be purchased with money, such as: courage, confidence, discipline, health, good relationships, knowledge, patience, personal growth, skills, etc.
Money can never procure blessings and virtues such as these, and yet there is a price that must be paid to obtain them. That price, which is sometimes heavy and high, must be paid in the currency of time, effort, sacrifice, self-sacrifice, service, and love.
These prices are non-negotiable.
And Universal Laws set the price.
Our feelings in the matter, however important and meaningful they may be to us and those we love, are irrelevant as far as the Laws are concerned. For Universal Laws are no respecters of persons and deal their cards out impartially to all.
Universal Laws, be they physical or metaphysical in nature, govern the way things really are. They are incontrovertible, inviolable, and preeminent. They transcend human trends, fashions, inclinations, mores, cultures, opinions, popularity, decrees, edicts, and legislation.
You can choose to respect Universal Laws or disregard them, but in the end, their consequences are immutable and omnipotent. Thus, while we are always at liberty to choose, we are never free to arbitrarily determine the long-term consequences of our choices; such is the all-powerful purview of Universal Laws.
Physical Truths
Scientific verities are examples of Universal Laws in the PHYSICAL world. These laws include: energy, friction, gravity, mass, motion, leverage, speed, thermodynamics, torque, etc.
Gravity, for instance, is a universal physical law that governs the operations of space, time, and the movements of physical bodies in our world and throughout the Universe.
If, on the other hand, I choose to recognize and respect gravity, there are ways and means whereby I can jump safely by utilizing safety mechanisms and tools that work in harmony with the law (e.g. parachute, airplane, hang glider, hot air balloon, etc.). 
This rejection of metaphysical laws (intentional or not) often leads to consequences that hurt more and last longer than the consequences one might endure from disobedience to physical laws. The fact that negative consequences of broken metaphysical laws typically take a great deal of time longer to manifest themselves contributes to a lack of social consensus on what these truths entail.
A main reason our contemporary civilization is as scientifically advanced as it is today is that near-universal accession and agreement exist upon many important physical and scientific laws of the Universe. This was not always the case. In past centuries and millennia, great debates were waged, and in some extreme cases, martyrs were sacrificed over truths that are simply taken for granted today.
Because of the incontrovertible evidence we have for many physical laws, most people adjust their behavior to avoid the consequences of disregarding them. This respect is rooted in the fact that the consequences stemming from physical laws are often meted out without delay, so there's little room for arguments over cause-and-effect relationships that exist between laws and their concomitant consequences.
As a result, a social consensus exists with regards to these laws.
Metaphysical Truths
The problem with postmodern-esque philosophies is that this same consensus does not exist for metaphysical truths. In fact, to a postmodernist, there really are no metaphysical truths; there are only physical laws and metaphysical beliefs, conjectures, interpretations, and suppositions.
Because it can take weeks, months, years, decades, or in some collective cases—centuries or millennia—for consequences to fully flesh themselves out, a great deal of contemporary confusion ensues about the reality and substance of universal metaphysical laws and truths.
As a result, many people spend their relatively brief lives here on Earth cultivating false notions about truth and reality that lead to disastrous results—a natural consequence of harboring misconceptions about metaphysical truths and their accompanying morality codes.
An unwillingness to face the difficulties involved in heeding the whisperings of conscience weakens your integrity and leads you away from the truth. Deceit always begins with self-deception. If not recognized and relinquished, self-deception invariably leads to dishonesty with others. If pursued indefinitely, your entire life will eventually be tangled up in a complex web of lies.
Despite this knowledge, however, science can tell us nothing about why (for what purpose) the Universe was created, whether there is more than one universe, and whether creation was aided by the direction of an intelligent (i.e. divine) source (or not).
Another reality about humankind, however, is that a lot more data exists than that which is measured only in the physical realm. The metaphysical realm also has a cornucopia of data to explore as well. Indeed, many and varied are the reports of human beings who have experienced déjà vu, spiritual and visceral intuition, premonitions of impending danger, supernatural visions and/or visitations, and out-of-body experiences (i.e. near-death experiences).
At Freedom Focused, we declare in words of soberness and solemnity that TRUTH with a capital "T" does exist absolutely, and so does deception and error. Moreover, there is a difference between Right and wrong and Good and evil just as surely as there is a difference between light and dark and hot and cold.
For every thought, word, and deed you decide to engage in your life, you also choose a corresponding consequence. This is a fundamental TRUTH—whether you know it, like it, or want it to be that way, or not.
Moreover, it varies widely from decision-to-decision, situation-to-situation, and circumstance-to-circumstance.
This example reminds me of a story you may have heard before, but is worth retelling. There was once a man who owned a truck driving company and needed to hire additional drivers. During the job interviews, he asked prospective employees how close they believed they could get to a curvaceous mountainous road without falling off the cliff.
Some consequences of our actions can take decades or the better part of a lifetime to materialize. For example, dishonest CEOs (e.g. Ken Lay, Bernie Madoff, Sam Bankman-Fried and many others) corrupt politicians (e.g. Richard Nixon, Rod Blagojevich, George Santos and many others) or murderous autocrats (e.g. Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, and Muammar Gaddafi) often live in the lap of debauchery, ease, luxury, and power for years or even decades before their evil actions and licentious lifestyles catch up to them and they are finally brought to justice.
One of the delayed consequences of Pasteur's publications was Joseph Lister's research, which led to the introduction of sterile surgical practices in the 1870s. "Listerine" was later developed and named after Lister. Similar disinfecting products, such as antibacterial soap were also developed as a delayed and positive consequence of the groundbreaking work of Pasteur, Lister, and others.
Abraham Lincoln once reiterated this deontological principle rooted in Kantian philosophy when he said: Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.
Window to the Truth #2: Bentham & Mill's Utilitarianism
This philosophy is known as Utilitarianism.
Window to the Truth #3: Aristotle's Golden Mean
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Other truths cannot be seen, but can still be scientifically validated (e.g. the existence of cellular, gamma, micro, radio, and x-rays).
Unfortunately, there are many physical and metaphysical realities of life that either can't or won't be proven scientifically and/or empirically in our lifetimes. This includes current theories about astronomy, physics, medicine, psychology, sexuality, spirituality, religion, philosophy, morality, interpersonal relations, and an afterlife (or lack thereof).
In politics, the former sometimes manifests as fascism or religious extremism, while the latter might morph into communism. Both extremes are dangerous and undesirable for the common citizen. In the insightful words of Theodore Roosevelt: We can just as little afford to follow the doctrinaires of an extreme individualism as of an extreme socialism. (16)
Unlike natural occurrences in the physical world, which are governed by physical laws and create immediate (or imminent) consequences readily recognized, many human thoughts, speech, and actions are governed by metaphysical law and therefore have delayed consequences. As a result, many human beings are either ignorant of universal metaphysical laws, arrogantly choose to dismiss or flout them, or naively attempt to evade or manipulate them.
While such dismissal, evasion, and manipulation tactics may appear or seem to work in the short-run, Universal Laws always prevail in the long-run. Thus, efforts to avoid said consequences are ultimately futile—an existential waste of time, energy, and often money and resources as well.
Just as our physical health depends upon our reliance upon and regard for physical laws of healthy living, our mental, emotional, social, spiritual, and existential health depends upon our reliance upon and regard for metaphysical laws of mental health, emotional well-being, social adjustment, spiritual peace, and existential growth. And a key component of our mental, emotional, social, spiritual, and existential well-being is our continual commitment to TRUTH and REALITY, or the way things really are.
In the incisive prose of M. Scott Peck, M.D.: Mental health [is] a process of ongoing dedication to reality at all costs ... no matter how uncomfortable the reality makes us.
Mental health is a process of ongoing dedication to reality at all costs,
no matter how uncomfortable the reality makes us.."
—M. Scott Peck
Understanding and accepting REALITY—the way things really are—including right and wrong and their accompanying True Principles rooted in Universal Laws, is hard work. It demands that you consistently listen to and follow your conscience, despite the inconveniences and difficulties of doing so.
C.S. Lewis once delineated this difficulty as follows:
"No man [or woman] knows how bad he [or she] is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of [a military force] by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A [person] who gives in ... after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside until we try to fight it." (2)
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| Sir Walter Scott 1771-1832 |
In the inspired words and prosodic parlance of Sir Walter Scott: O what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive! (3)
"O what a tangled web we weave
when first we practice to deceive!"
—Sir Walter Scott
What's both ironic and sad is that if deceit is taken too far, you won't even be able to recognize your own deceptiveness because you will have lost the ability to tell the truth to yourself. Indeed, it is often the case that truly evil people don't see themselves as being bad or doing what is wrong; they ironically see themselves as good and doing what is right—and after a certain point, it is virtually impossible to convince them otherwise, which is why the worst of the worst usually end up dead from either suicide or enemy retribution.
To rise to the highest levels of Existential Growth—soon to be introduced in the SAL Theory—YOU must value, respect, honor, and adhere to the Universal Laws of both physics and metaphysics, and the True Principles that accompany them.
There is no other way.
Nations, states, communities, organizations, schools, families, relationships, and individual lives that are not rooted in TRUTH and GOODNESS will eventually falter and fail. Your only assurance of lasting success, happiness, fulfillment, and inner peace is to make goodness, rightness, and truth the bullseye of your life's existential target.
Truth cannot be created or destroyed.
Truth and error—and by extension, good and evil—simply are.
It is true that truths can be discovered, but they cannot be created or amended to suit our inclinations or opinions; nor can they be bossed around or bullied into submission. Truth exists outside of human authority and influence—just like the heat and light of the Sun and the orbit of our planet around it.
Truth in all of its majestic permanence and perfection outlines and highlights the consequences of all human thought, speech, and behavior. While we possess liberty to make choices, we have no freedom over the long-term consequences of those decisions.
The results we get in life flow from a nexus of the consequences of our choices and the consequences of others' choices that affect us. We may not like what the consequences are, but our liking them (or not) is irrelevant to their existence, power, and influence over our lives.
Like Freedom Focused, Stephen R. Covey defined truth as "a knowledge of things as they [really] are." (4) Covey further taught that some principles are correct (or true), and some principles are incorrect (or false). When human behavior aligns with true principles, positive long-term consequences ensue. When human behavior aligns with false principles, negative long-term consequences ensue.
In Covey's own words:
"Principles are guidelines for human conduct that are proven to have enduring, permanent value. They're fundamental [and] they're essentially unarguable because they are self-evident. ... Although people may argue about how these principles are defined or manifested or achieved, there seems to be an innate consciousness and awareness that they exist." (5)
To illustrate this "innate consciousness," consider again the words of C.S. Lewis, who referred to truth as the "Law of Nature."
"Whenever you find a [person] who says he does not believe in a real Right and Wrong, you will find the same [person] going back on this a minute later. He may break his promise to you, but if you try breaking one to him, he will be complaining, "It's not fair," before you can say Jack Robinson. A nation may say treaties don't matter; but then, next minute they spoil their case by saying that the particular treaty they want to break was an unfair one. But if treaties do not matter, and if there is no such thing as Right and Wrong ... what is the difference between a fair treaty and an unfair one? Have they not ... shown that, whatever they say, they really know the Law of Nature just like everyone else? It seems, then, we are forced to believe in a real Right and Wrong. People may be sometimes mistaken about them, just as people sometimes get their sums wrong; but they are not a matter of mere taste and opinion any more than the multiplication table." (6)
William James—the father of modern psychology—further corroborated Lewis's assertion thusly:
"What interest, zest, or excitement can there be in achieving the right way, unless we are enabled to feel that the wrong way is also a possible way and a natural way—nay, more, a menacing and imminent way? And what sense can there be in condemning ourselves for taking the wrong way, unless we need have done nothing of the sort, unless the right way was open to us as well? I cannot understand the willingness to act, no matter how we feel, without the belief that acts are really good and bad." (7)
This quote was shared previously in this textbook, but given that repetition is the key to reception, it certainly bears repeating here!
Truth Transcends the Known Sciences
Truth and reality encompass far more than what mankind can perceive with our five senses; it also transcends the canon of science we have been able to demonstrably prove to-date. It is, after all, a well-known fact that mankind has yet to discover many scientific proofs.
In fact, amidst the wellspring of scientific knowledge currently available, there is still a LOT more we don't know than we do know—to say nothing of our unknown unknowns, which in my lowly opinion, accounts for the greatest amount (by far) of knowledge yet to be discovered in the Universe.
These pressing, perplexing, and puzzling realities led M. Scott Peck to query: "Why is it that we humans go around thinking that we know the score, when actually we don't know beans?" (8)
Peck's own answer to this question was: FEAR & LAZINESS—two of the greatest inhibitors of Existential Growth.
Said he:
"It is scary to think that we really don't know what we're doing or where we're going, and that we are intellectual infants stumbling around in the dark. It's so much more comfortable, therefore, to live in an illusion that we know much more than we actually do. ... Were we to wake to the reality of our terrible ignorance, we would either have to think of ourselves as being profoundly stupid or, at the very least, let ourselves in for a lifetime of effortful learning. Since most people don't like to think of themselves as stupid or let themselves in for a lifetime of effortful learning, it's just so much more comfortable to live in this nice illusion that we know much more than we actually do." (9)
At Freedom Focused, we fully acknowledge how far science has come over the centuries and millennia; and we are so grateful for that knowledge! Such progress has provided us with much information about how, when, and where the Universe was created. It has also driven the industrial, technological, medical, and information revolutions that have transformed life on this planet into such a relatively advanced, comfortable, and safe realm in which to reside.
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| Our Universe remains Mysterious to even the most knowledgeable among us. |
Moreover, any astronomer or physicist worth their salt will tell you that our unknowns still greatly outnumber our knowns in both fields of inquiry. In fact, the smarter (wiser) the scientist, the less they will claim to know in comparison to what yet remains mysterious about the our unspeakably extraordinary and unfathomably gargantuan Universe.
While there is no shortage of conjectures, hypotheses, suggestions, and wild guesses to these questions and mysteries, the reality is that we humans remain rather infantile in our total understanding of a great many things both in our world and throughout the known Universe.
Black holes, cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, faster-than-light travel, time travel, string theory, mental illness, and many elements of quantum mechanics are just a few examples of scientific, medical, and technological mysteries that remain unsolved and will likely continue to challenge mortals in this world indefinitely into the future.
The sheer quantity of such experiences throughout human history is so diverse and expansive (collectively speaking) that they cannot possibly be codified, although if they could they would perhaps require 13-or-more digits to both accurately and adequately quantify.
Those who choose to rely solely on physical knowledge about life and the Universe drastically limit themselves and turn their backs to a vast ocean of metaphysical data that can be accessed through a combination of cognitive rationality, experiential common sense, and visceral intuitiveness, openness, and humility.
It is so much easier to arrogantly assert that there is no absolute truth than it is to humbly commit to the hard work required to discover and discern what is, in fact, absolutely true! Such assertions seemingly absolve you of a "lifetime of effortful learning" (9a) and searching. But in reality, they only leave you further in the dark.
The "there is no absolute truth" concept is a convenient credo because it opens the door to moral relativity and moral relativism is easier to stomach (in the short run) than the fact that all actions are governed by Universal Laws that enforce natural consequences over time.
Let's face up to the fact that it is simply human nature to pursue what we want to do rather than what we should do.
Moral relativism is appealing to many because it negates accountability with the specious claim that no one moral code is better than another. After all, who wants to admit that they (or their moral code) might be wrong, misguided, myopic, stubborn, foolish, or even evil?
It takes a noble—and humble—person to do that.
And unfortunately, noble and humble persons—aka SELF-ACTION LEADERS—are not a dime-a-dozen in our world.
One of the most tragic absurdities about human nature is our tendency to invest our greatest efforts convincing ourselves—and others—that we are right, instead of spending our time and energy trying to learn was actually is right.
If YOU are convinced otherwise and unwilling to consider this proposed alternative viewpoint, this comprehensive Life Leadership textbook will be only minimally helpful and you will be unable to rise to the highest levels of Existential Growth.
If, on the other hand, YOU are willing to acquiesce to the reality of certain absolutes, these books will prove very beneficial in aiding your quest to rise to the pinnacle of your personal and professional potential.
To sum up, TRUTH is, always has been, and always will be.
The question is not whether it exists or not; the question is whether or not YOU and I possess the desire, determination, persistence, resiliency, and work ethic required to seek it out and then consistently and faithfully abide by it throughout our lives. In the stirring oratory of Sir Winston Churchill: The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, and ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.
"The truth is incontrovertible.
Malice may attack it and ignorance may deride it;
But in the end, there it is!"
—Sir Winston Churchill
Whose Truth
In all this talk about truth, a question naturally arises: If truth exists absolutely, then whose truth is the TRUTH? Is it mine? Is it yours? Is it somebody else's?
The answer is: It's nobodies.
Truth does not exist solely in one creed, doctrine, dogma, or philosophy. Moreover, it exists outside of human opinion, perception, whim, and will. Just because a person standing next to me sees something differently than I do in a painting doesn't change the fact that we are still looking at the same work of art.
Truth exists outside of human desires and inclinations. It's defined and described by opposition and enforced by natural consequences driven and operated by Universal Law.
No one owns the truth.
Truth just is.
With this said, there are, of course, many great minds, hearts, and spirits throughout human history who have effectively articulated aspects of truth. At Freedom Focused, we seek earnestly to identify and then share wisdom from the past that best articulates TRUTH.
This Textbook for Life is full of this shared wisdom.
To Every Action...
Simply stated: When you pick up ONE side of a stick YOU pick up the other side right along with it.
Isaac Newton scientifically canonized the concept of consequences when he taught the world that great truth of mechanical physics: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
This famous physical law, known today as Newton's Third Law of Motion, has a corresponding law in the metaphysical realm. The only difference is the time lapse between the action and reaction. In the physical world, reactions typically follow actions relatively quickly, if not immediately.
For example, if a speeding car slams into another car (action), both cars will immediately incur damage (reaction).
Metaphysical Consequences Take Time to Materialize
In the metaphysical realm, it usually takes a lot longer for a "reaction" to follow a given "action." In some cases, it may take weeks, months, years, decades, or even a lifetime or more for all consequences to fully manifest themselves following a given action or set of actions.
Don't let the delays fool you!
Just like the physical world, Universal Laws dictate the reactions that eventually follow all metaphysical actions (e.g. thought, desire, intention, deception, inaction, moral lapse, etc.).
How much time is required to accurately classify a thought, word, action, habit, or lifestyle as "Good" or "bad"? In other words, how much time does the "Long Run" entail?
The answer to this question is: It depends.
Physical consequences can, of course, come quickly or even immediately. For example, put your hand on a red (or blue) hot stove and you will speedily become acquainted with the laws of thermodynamics and heat transfer; and it will hurt—badly.
Other consequences take much longer to materialize.
For example, mistreating a friend, colleague, or loved one probably won't poison the relationship immediately. It may take years or even decades of disrespect and abuse for a close relationship to finally collapse, although there will likely be a lot of pain along the pathway to its terminus.
Similarly, people usually don't die quickly from a single cigarette, alcoholic drink, drug "hit," or a sexually promiscuous or other physically dangerous lifestyle. They usually die slowly from prolonged patterns of poor life choices they have embraced steadily over time.
The danger in "testing" or "trying" out risky behaviors and lifestyles is less in the sampling itself, and more in the heightened potential of developing a habit that could prove addictive and destructive over time. That, of course, is why it is wise to stay clear of some behaviors entirely; because in most cases, it simply isn't worth the risks involved.
With some actions and activities, ONCE is too many!
I have a close friend who chooses to not touch alcohol because members of his family have struggled with alcoholism and he knows he has the "addiction gene." Would it be okay if he sampled an occasional sip of beer or wine?
Perhaps.
But for him, it just isn't worth the risk of what it could potentially lead to.
He is a wise man!
Some applicants—the one's desiring to brag about their driving acumen and precision expertise on the road—claimed they could get precariously close (within a few inches, centimeters, or even millimeters) to the edge and still remain safely atop the cliff. Other, less confident and experienced drivers answered more conservatively, saying they could only get one or two "feet" away. A few wiser and more responsible and sensible drivers answered as follows: "I always stay as far away from the edge as possible!"
Who do you think the man hired to drive his trucks?
The conservative, responsible, and safe drivers—of course!
Some consequences take generations, centuries, or even millennia to fully flesh themselves out. Consider, for example, how long it took the medical field to discover the existence and impact of bacteria and germs, or to figure out that bleeding a patient was a counterproductive method of supposed "healing." Even though germ theory was proposed by various persons throughout the ages, the idea didn't become mainstream until well after Louis Pasteur published his papers on fermentation and silkworm health in the 1860s.
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| Louis Pasteur 1822-1895 |
What about the rise and fall of nations and empires?
It took several generations for the communist Soviet empire to fall, but when it did, it fell hard and fast. Other nations have faced more gradual declines. The mighty Roman Republic—and later Roman Empire—ruled the ancient world for nearly a thousand years. Yet, whatever remains of it today lies in ruins, and its once-mighty language (Latin) while still studied and used ceremoniously in some quarters, is officially dead.
A great truism about True Principles rooted in Universal Laws is that results often take time to measure. (10) This is especially true in the metaphysical realms of our lives. The delayed reactions surrounding cognitive, social, and moral actions can make future consequences seem and feel unclear and uncertain.
Because of this ambiguity, humans must consistently exercise both discipline and faith all along the way. The right course of action will not always be crystal clear in any given situation or circumstance. Nevertheless, it is always incumbent upon YOU to try your best to decipher, discern, and discover the truth of a matter and then courageously act in accordance with your finite knowledge, wisdom, and the whisperings of your conscience.
Philosophical Windows to the Truth
Philosophically speaking, the SAL Theory and Model both draw heavily from Immanuel Kant's deontological embrace of Universal Laws, John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham's views on utilitarianism, and Aristotle's Golden Mean.
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| Immanuel Kant 1724-1804 |
Window to the Truth #1: Kant's Universal Laws
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was a German philosopher of the eighteenth century who taught the existence of irrevocable Universal Laws. Kant was a deontologist, meaning he believed human beings have certain Existential Duties and obligations set forth not by any mortal being or Earthly tribunal, but by Universal Laws themselves.
Kant is famous for coining the term—Categorical Imperative—which describes our absolute duty to align our conduct with Universal Laws.
According to Kant, when a human being obeys the edicts of a Universal Laws even though one feels disinclined to do so, they are exercising a Good Will. In other words, we are at our very best as humans when we do what is right even—and especially—when we don't feel like it.
Existential Growth requires that you to accept the reality of both physical and metaphysical Universal Laws and then exercise a Kantian Good Will in obeying them—whether you feel like it or not.
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| Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865 |
"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us,
to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it." (11)
—Abraham Lincoln
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| Jeremy Bentham 1748-1832 |
Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) were English philosophers who promoted a philosophy that "Right Action" is accomplished by making decisions whose consequences will bring about the most possible happiness (or benefit) to the greatest number of people.
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| John Stuart Mill 1806-1873 |
Utilitarianism should not be equated with a mere "Ends justify Means" philosophy. In the clarifying words of Mill, "In the golden rule of Jesus of Nazareth, we read the complete spirit of the ethics of utility. 'To do as you would be done by,' and 'to love your neighbor as yourself,' constitute the ideal perfection of the utilitarian morality." (12)
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| Aristotle 384-322 BC |
According to the great Greek philosopher, Aristotle (384-322 BC), truth, virtue, or the "Ultimate Good" is defined as a balance between excess and deficiency. This balance, or Happy Medium, is known as the Golden Mean.
Such balance creates a target that helps self-action leaders avoid the error of extremes, which is useful since virtually all errors, evil, and vice occur through thinking, saying, or doing either too little—or too much—of something.
The Triadic Golden Mean of SAL
SAL Theory expands on Aristotle's conception of the Golden Mean to introduce a triad of variables, the perfect balance of which lead a self-action leader to identify truth and make correct decisions. These three variables are as follows:
- Rationality (reason and logic)
- Common Sense (derived from experience—your own and that of others throughout history)
- Conscience (visceral intuition). (13)
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Sometimes a single variable is sufficient to determine the right course of action in a given situation or circumstance. For example: many of the routine, daily tasks we tackle each day can be successfully navigated by the simple use of common sense (experience) and/or rationality (logic). Other decisions involving leadership, management, relationships, and morality are more complicated and require the added consultation of conscience (visceral intuition).
Self-action leaders strive to cultivate and consult all three variables rather than relying on just one or two.
A limited focus inhibits your Existential Growth and stunts your capacity to live life fully.
For example: an imbalanced RATIONALIST may be academically gifted, but narcissistic, nihilistic, and have trouble forming meaningful interpersonal relationships.
Someone who relies only on common sense may be pragmatic and secure physically and financially speaking, but fail to rise to their fullest potential because of their unwillingness to take risks in promotion of further growth and progress.
Conversely a person crunched too tightly into the corner of conscience may fall asleep void of guilt, but may do so on a "pillow of stone," (14) bereft of creature comforts and conveniences made possible by rational, common-sense living.
Recognizing Truth
Some truths, like certain laws of science and mathematics, can be scientifically observed and empirically verified. For example: water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius), and Earth is situated 93 million miles away from its sun.
Still other truths cannot be proven scientifically, but can be verified (or at least effectively postulated) by experiential evidence over time (e.g. I made a wise choice in taking a calculated risk as evinced by the positive long-term benefits of that decision).
In making said judgments, never forget that "results take time to measure." (15). As such, beware of pursuing courses of action or lifestyles that feel right in the moment, but which very well may bring about disturbing and painful consequences that inhibit your Existential Growth in the future.
Consider the following ACTIONS you can take to avoid these preventable consequences:
- Listen carefully to, and then follow the direction of, your conscience.
- Cultivate associations with people who are both honest and wise.
- Undertake a careful study of human history.
The Role of Conscience
Truth can be found in many different places. Likewise, incomplete truths, half lies, and outright deceptions exist amidst many philosophies, dogmas, doctrines, and creeds. Frustratingly, there is also a lot of truth that we simply don't know yet. But not knowing something doesn't negate its reality; it merely means we are presently unable to discover, access, or measure it.
Case in point: the galactic cluster M-39 will continue existing with or without your knowledge, concern, or consent!
True (or good) principles can only be verified scientifically after the materialization of all consequences. This means principles not proven true with short-term experiments require extended periods of time—i.e. decades, generations, centuries, or even millennia—to be "proven" sufficiently to satisfy skeptics.
The GOOD news is that if you had enough time, data, and research, you could probably prove many metaphysical principles to be right or wrong using empirical experimentation alone.
The bad news is that you and I don't have centuries or millennia in our relatively brief lifetimes to figure out everything that is, or is not, true from a strictly scientific standpoint. As such, those waiting on science to tell them the truth about everything will surely die disappointed.
That is where history comes in!
Studying history provides us with the centuries and millennia of data and experience we ourselves lack.
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| In a world of finite knowledge, Conscience Counts! |
What are you to do in situations where scientifically validated answers are unavailable? The answer to this important question lies in studying history and learning to viscerally discern right from wrong by developing a strong visceral connection to your conscience.
Some believe that the visceral intuitions of conscience serve as suprarational communiqué from a Higher Power.
I am one of these believers.
Others view these internal communications as entirely instinctual, or perhaps even as a by-product of involuntary physical processes, such as indigestion or upset gas. Some cast the entire concept off as pseudo-spiritual psychobabble. Many make an array of life's most important decisions by listening to the still, small voice of one's conscience. And many others ignore it repeatedly until its voice either dims considerably or falls terminally silent.
To achieve the Aristotelian virtue accessed within the Golden Mean, visceral wisdom must be balanced by empirically validated and rationale science—and vice versa. One without the other leads to dangerous extremes and debilitating myopia. Blindly following your intuition with no consideration of logic, reason, and the experiences of others throughout history may lead to overzealous recklessness.
On the other hand, a pure intellectualism that is not tempered by the compassion and concern of conscience easily becomes a cold, loveless, and joyless existence, bound by the narrow limits of empirical observation.
 |
| Theodore Roosevelt 1858-1919 |
"We can just as little afford to follow the doctrinaires of an extreme individualism as of an extreme socialism."
—Theodore Roosevelt
In a world increasingly beset by the errors of extremism on all sides, Aristotle's Golden Mean, in all of its balanced majesty, rises triumphantly as a philosophical phoenix of truth and ideological egalitarianism flying forth out of the sordid ashes of political and cultural postmodernism.
Just as your mind, heart, sociality, and conscience must be properly balanced for you to be fully functional and healthy as a human being, so must visceral wisdom compensate for the shortcomings of science. And since human visceral intuition can easily go awry, science must likewise provide a tempering rationality.
Moreover, while the crystal ball of history does not always perfectly predict the future, its vast storehouses of experiential wisdom should be robustly researched and routinely reviewed to inform present and future actions.
To reiterate—and add a few additional words of wisdom from—the great historians Will and Ariel Durant:
"Intellect is ... a vital force in history, but it can also be a dissolvent and destructive power. Out of every hundred new ideas ninety-nine will probably be inferior to the traditional responses which they propose to replace. No one [person], however brilliant or well-informed, can come in one lifetime to such fullness of understanding as to safely judge and dismiss the customs or institutions of his society, for these are the wisdom of generations after centuries of experiment in the laboratory of history. ..."So the conservative who resists change is as valuable as the radical who proposes it—perhaps as much more valuable as roots are more vital than grafts. It is good that new ideas should be heard, for the sake of the few that can be used; but it is also good that new ideas should be compelled to go through the mill of objection, opposition, and contumely; this is the trial heat which innovations must survive before being allowed to enter the human race. It is good that the old should resist the young, and that the young should prod the old; out of this tension, as out of the strife of the sexes and the classes, comes a creative tensile strength, a stimulated development, a secret and basic unity and movement of the whole." (17)
In Your Journal
- What is an area of your life that is presently out of balance?
- Would you classify this area of your life as suffering from a deficiency or an excess?
- What is something you could begin doing today to restore equilibrium to this area?
- How might Bentham and Mill's concept of Utilitarianism inform or change your decisions moving forward?
- How might Kant's concept of a Good Will and the Categorical Imperative inform or change your decisions moving forward?
- How might Aristotle's Golden Mean provide additional insights into the long-term direction of your education, career, and/or life?
—Dr. JJ
Wednesday, June 19, 2024
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA
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Chapter 5 Notes
1. Peck, M. S. (1993). Further Along the Road Less Traveled: The Unending Journey Toward Spiritual Growth (The Edited Lectures). New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. Page 75.
2. Lewis, C. S. (2001). Mere Christianity. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco. Page 142.
3. Scott, W. (1812). Marmion: A Romance in Six Cantos. Canto VI. Section XVII. Lines 27-28. The Poetical Works of Walter Scott, Esq. Vol. 3. Page 216. Baltimore, MD: Published by Joseph Cushing. William Fry, Printer. Google Books version.
4. Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. New York, NY: Fireside. Page 35.
5. Ibid.
6. Lewis, C. S. (2001). Mere Christianity. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco. Pages 6-7.
7. James, W. (1884) The Dilemma of Determinism.
8. Peck, M. S. (1993). Further Along the Road Less Traveled: The Unending Journey Toward Spiritual Growth (The Edited Lectures) New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. Page 75.
9. Ibid.
9a. Ibid.
10. Smith, H.W. (1994). The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management: Proven Strategies for Increased Productivity and Inner Peace. New York, NY: Warner Books. Page 145.
11. Lincoln, A. 1860. Cooper Union Address. Brooklyn, NY. February 27, 1860.
12. Mill, J.S. in Keller, D., Ed. (2002). Ethics and Values: Basic Readings in Theory and Practice. Boston, MA: Pearson. Page 95.
13. In conjunction with Aristotle’s philosophy of the Golden Mean, the Triadic Golden Mean of SAL was further inspired by Stephen R. Covey’s model of leading a powerful life, which requires a balanced approach among four key elements (vision, discipline, passion, and conscience). See Covey, S.R. (2004). The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York: NY, Free Press. See Chapter 5 (Pages 64-93, and page 65 for “Leading a Powerful Life” model – Figure 5.2).
14. From Holland, J.G.’s poem, Gradatim, in In Cook, R.J. (1958/1997). One Hundred and One Famous Poems: With a Prose Supplement (Revised Edition). Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books. Page 127.
15. Smith, H. W. (1994). The 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management: Proven Strategies for Increased Productivity and Inner Peace. New York, NY: Warner Books. Page 145.
16. Roosevelt, T. (1910). Citizenship in a Republic. Speech delivered at the Sorbonne. Paris, France. April 23, 1910.
17. Durant, W. and Durant, A. (1968). The Lessons of History. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks. Pages 35-36.
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