I Think We Can Handle The Truth

I went to see "The Big Miracle" a couple of weeks ago with my two boys. The movie is based on a true story surrounding a collaborated rescue effort to save three grey whales that were trapped in the frozen waters of northern Alaska. My boys seemed to enjoy the movie, but I didn't think it was all that great, personally. As I often do when I watch a movie based on true events, when I got home I immediately began doing some research to find out how accurate the movie was. While I expected to find some variations from the actual event what I didn't expect to find was that the "happy ending" may very well have been a complete fabrication.

For those who have not seen the movie, I don't think I'll ruin it for you if I tell you the movie ends with the whales making it to open waters. After all, I don't think there would be much of a reason to make the movie if all the whales die. We all love happy endings and as you sit there watching this movie, you just know things are going to work out in the end. However, what if they didn't really make it to open waters? What if they spent all that money and manpower trying to free these three whales and their attempts completely failed? Could we handle that truth, or would we rather re-write the ending to make it happy?

As I read several articles about this actual event, the truth seems to be that nobody really knows if the whales made it or not. While many believe they did, nobody actually knows for sure. It is possible that the whales made it out to sea, but it is equally possible that they never made it and the effort was a failure. Naturally, the whales surviving makes for a much better ending, but when I see a movie based on a true story, I prefer the facts to be accurate for the most part. I guess what I'm saying is I like for true stories to be true. What would be so bad about the ending of this whale movie being accurate? Instead of manipulating the ending to go along with what most people hope for concerning the fate of the whales, what if the movie played out like the real life event? Couldn't we all handle an ending of uncertainty? I really think we can handle the truth.

We live in a world where truth is often hard to find. We have political leaders who hide the truth in order to maintain power, push their agendas, and "protect us" because they think we can't handle it. The news media does the same thing. Abortionists use the word "fetus" to convince themselves and the masses that they are removing tissue rather than exterminating a life. God forbid we speak of a literal hell because in the end we like to think that along with dogs, we all go to heaven. In an effort to be "politically correct," we shy away from speaking the truth for fear of offending someone. In relationships, we often steer around the truth because we fear the difficult conversations that often accompany speaking the truth. When we meet people we often put on masks and pretend to be something we're not because we figure if they know the truth about us, they'll reject us. We get a lump or a pain somewhere and we hesitate to go to the doctor because we don't want to know if its something bad. Somehow we figure if we just don't know, we will be better off. We would rather not know the truth if it is bad news. In a court room we take an oath to tell the whole truth, yet neither side really wants the whole truth, just the portion of the truth that benefits them.

I don't know about you, but I want the truth. I think I can handle the truth. I don't ever want to be like those young people on American Idol who have been told all their lives they can sing when they really can't carry a tune in a bucket. I think we should always be supportive of our children, but part of being a parent is having those difficult conversations with our children when we have to speak the truth. It is always a huge mistake, whether we are protecting others or ourselves by running from the truth.

Have you ever seen someone walking around with their fly down and chose not to tell them? Have you ever seen someone with food in their teeth and chose not to say a word? If you were that person wouldn't you rather someone politely tell you the truth rather than say nothing? Several years ago I got home from church to notice that when I took off my pants that the entire seat of my pants had come unstitched. I'm not talking a little hole, I talking a 6-8 inch gaping hole. Now, I hope nobody saw my tighty-whities, but its hard for me to imagine that nobody saw my bright white Fruit-of-the-Looms through the hole in my navy pants. Trust me, in an instance like that I WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH!

Sometimes speaking the truth is difficult. Sometimes it is extremely uncomfortable for both the one speaking the truth and the one hearing it. Sure, the truth may produce anger, tears, and many other emotions initially, but in the end, it produces freedom. Trying to protect someone by shielding them from the truth, often does more damage than just speaking the truth.

Concerning the whales in "The Big Miracle," sure I would much rather the story end with the whales making it to safety. I don't think anyone wants them to die. But, I can handle it if they did. I'm pretty sure my two young boys could handle it too. Perhaps, I would have to do a little explaining to them, but in the end I would rather them know the truth. Actually they do know the truth because I told them. I told them that in real life nobody really knows if the whales lived or died. Their response? "I hope they made it because it would be sad if they died." Amazing, it seems like they can handle the truth.

Can You Handle The Truth?

"I want the truth!"
"You can't handle the truth"

Do you remember the scene? Tom Cruise is hammering Jack Nicholson on the witness stand in the climax of the movie, "A Few Good Men." Tom Cruise is a young lawyer and Nicholson is a seasoned Marine of many years. Cruise is going after him with some heavy questioning and the tension in the court room gets so thick you could cut it with a knife. Nicholson of course the prideful man that he is, refuses to back down from this young punk and spills the truth pretty much convicting himself.

We live in a world much like that. One where the truth is so often hard to find. Much of the time its because we're not looking for it. We don't want to really know the truth. What so many of us want is someone to put a mask on it. Cover it up so we won't really have to face it. We walk through life with this crazy ideology that what we don't know won't hurt us. How many people do you know that are hesitant to go to the doctor for fear of what they might find? It's crazy isn't it?

On the show American Idol, Simon gets a lot of flack for being so rude. Sure, he could tone it down a bit, but I'm convinced much of that is for the cameras. Still, the fact remains he tells the truth. I can't believe how many young people show up who really think they can sing only to be heartbroken when they are told they can't. All their life, they've been convinced by people who don't want to hurt their feelings, that they can sing. I don't know about you, but I would rather somebody hurt my feelings before I get up in front of a crowd of people and make an absolute fool out of myself. When we coddle people, we do them a great injustice. Sure, we can determine to speak the truth in a much more pleasant way than Simon, but still we should speak the truth.

We live in a culture today that is so wrapped up in fear over hurting somebody's feelings. What is this crazy philosophy that is prevalent in our culture today that casts shame on those who might say something that offends another? We have a whole generation that has been coddled and God forbid we do anything or say anything that might upset another. Tell me, who does that help in the long run? Why is it that having a differing opinion so threatens people? So, someone disagrees with me, what's the big fuss. So many try so hard to be "politically correct" that they fail to be correct. They fail to be real or share how they truly feel or what they really think. And of course, we think that makes everything so much better.

We try so hard to walk on pins and needles in an effort to make sure nobody gets offended. Are there really people who get offended by a Christmas display of a baby lying in a manger? I mean really? That offends somebody? Or, worse yet saying Merry Christmas truly ticks somebody off? Or, God forbid someone disagrees with somebody else's lifestyle choice. Do we honestly believe that everyone is going to be down with everything we believe and how we do life? Come on! The truth is, we as a people need to grow up and quit wearing our emotions on our sleeves. No matter how you choose to live life, there are going to be those who oppose it.

As a believer, there are those who have never met me that already don't like me. Trust me, I won't lose sleep over it. There are those, both believers and non-believers, who disagree with some of my theology and life philosophy. Again, I won't lose sleep over it. There are very few people who's opinions matter to me. Yes, there are some, but not a great number. Trust me when I say, I am not in the least threatened by someone who believes different than I. I know what I believe and why I believe it.

My life's journey is a constant search for truth. I despise lies, half-truths, and deception. That could be why the older I get the less confidence I have in politicians, but that's a different topic altogether. Naturally, as a follower of Christ, my philosophy in life has been greatly influenced by Him and the Word of God. Because I believe God's Word to be true, I hold fast to it. If I believe Jesus to be the one and only true way, even if it's not "politically correct," why does that bother anybody? Why should anyone get up in arms about that? I'm simply holding true to what I believe to be truth. Does that really threaten people?

Could it be that those who it threatens aren't confident in what they themselves believe? There are all kinds of differing religions and philosophies, none of which threatens me in the least. Naturally, I believe that what I believe is right. And that's really the point isn't it? That everyone believes their way to be right? Which brings us back to the truth. Do we really want to know the truth? Or, do we just want to live our life in such a way that we just assume what we believe to be true? Can we really know the truth? I believe we can. I believe that whoever truly searches for the truth will find it. The real question is can you handle the truth? What if in a moment of time all that you've ever believed, you discovered to be nothing more than a carefully disguised deception? Do you continue in the deception or to you run with the truth? Believe it or not, many choose the false deception because that's what they are comfortable with.

It's like that crazy stringed quartet playing music on the deck of the Titanic while it's sinking. Or, it's like the religious leaders of Jesus day that determined to pay the guards at the tomb of Jesus to perpetrate a lie rather than face the music that they were wrong about him. After all, they would have to admit they crucified the Savior they had been praying God to send them. Much easier to continue in the deception, huh? Trust me when I say the truth is out there. You have to determine though if you can indeed handle the truth.