"Are you still giving your opinions on everything?"
-Commissioner Larry S., to me, in the Moonbat Valley Market a few years ago
For nearly 24 years, I did my very best to police my little corner of the world. That meant all kinds of things to all kinds of people.
Policing requires strength of character. It requires the ability to confront people and to get them to tell you things about themselves and about others that they don't want to tell you. And always, you seek the truth, but I'm not sure you ever really find the "whole" truth. However with some diligence, I still think we can get pretty close.
The truth scares dishonest people. When the truth becomes inconvenient, or embarrassing, or humiliating, or even damaging- rather than accepting it- some folks get angry, nasty, passive aggressive. They lash out and I have to tell you- that has always puzzled me.
Sometimes they launch a personal or ridiculing assault. Other times they attack the truth by trying to drag it down to the opinion level. Sometimes they try both strategies.
The one constant- the one thing that must always be present in these people who get angry at the truth- is that they take everything personally. Somewhere in their DNA, anything that doesn't agree with their concealed opinions and conclusions, must be defended at all costs. That's how an insane mind operates, unless of course all this make believe anger seems normal. That is why Ruiz calls this Agreement 2. Don't take anything personally ever. Even if someone puts a gun to your head and pulls the trigger. Ruiz has a prescription for sanity. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/four-agreements-don-miguel-ruiz/1100993587?ean=9781878424310 The first time I mentioned this concept to a friend of mine, a friend who takes everything personally, he said I was nuts. I am laughing out loud as I write this. His ridiculing assault was actually quite predictable as I play that moment back in my mind.
That I think, has been my experience. Or my truth.
For 24 years, I dutifully set about the task of investigations and then, writing police reports. Those reports were the absolute best representation of the truth that I had available to me at the time that I wrote them. I didn't make anything up, I simply told some chronological story about a series of events which I experienced. I based my arrest decisions on those experiences, on that body of work. And after some length of time, I swore an oath that the things I had written about- actually took place and I testified to that effect.
The defense, not unlike my friend, did their damnedest to make you look like a liar. Because that is the "destroy the truth" game and that game gets played out millions and billions of times a year- in and out of courtrooms.
Not once in 24 years did I ever knowingly set pen to paper and lie about anyone. Nor do I do that here. So I will call the question right now and get to the point.
Why do some people become upset when you utter a simple truth about some situation or event, an incident that is generally and universally accepted as true- only to find yourself under attack from them?
Why does this piss people off?
People will never accept a truth if they themselves must alter an already preconceived notion, belief system, prejudice, or conclusion they they hold near and dear. They may not even know the body of facts that you do- but that is often inconsequential. People will not alter themselves, instead they will alter the facts if they can- to suit their preconceived notions and conclusions. Their opinions. Sometimes they consider themselves intellectually superior.
The problem with facts and opinions is that they often cannot occupy the same space at the same time. I certainly invite any and all to fault this logic.
For instance, Barack Obama either called nearby military assets to help Americans at Benghazi or he did not. That's a fact. Since no assets were sent- I think we can conclude that Obama did not send any. I think Americans, and particularly the grieving families of dead Americans, deserve an explanation.
Sometimes the truth takes a more personal turn.
Many people don't like the truth. People who are doing dishonest things, or people who cannot apply honesty to their own lives and conduct- are always the ones who are highly offended by the truth. These are the folks who want to continue to engage in their own self centered dishonesty even though you have brought it to their attention. This brings me back to that rather odd introduction.
Commissioner Larry S., and his fellow Commissioners in Moonbat Valley just gave themselves a 33% or 20,000 dollar raise per year for doing work that has always been part time work. This was on top of an 11 percent raise that they gave themselves the year before. So currently I think, these part time jobs of theirs will net the commissioners a cool 81, 000 dollars per yr. not counting their generous benefits.
This greedy behavior was not lost on some of us. I even wrote a comment or two about it and signed my real name.
You see, Larry S., and I have history. I have had to point out the truth to him and his co-workers before. Despite crystal clear Idaho law and existing precedent, we ended up suing the Commissioners once even after warning them. Not only did they lose, but they squandered over 100k of taxpayer money in the process.
All of that of course, occurred long before my running into Larry at the grocery store one day. Larry it seems, still gets the truth mixed up with his opinions. And he might still be a little angry.
What I've learned over the years, is this. Truth is malleable. When you are stating the truth or your truth, and somebody gets angered by that- there is nothing you can do for them. Don't ever let one of these types intimidate you.
Arthur Schopenhauer was an old time philosopher who said a lot of interesting things about truth. While doing research for this piece I was reading about his death. This is what they said.
Schopenhauer had a robust constitution, but in 1860 his health began to deteriorate. He died of heart failure on 21 September 1860 while sitting at home on his couch with his cat. He was 72.[28]
I'm gonna accept that as the truth even though I wasn't there. Here then is my favorite Schopenhauer quote. Two hundred years later and things haven't changed much. Same as it ever was.
The discovery of truth is prevented more effectively, not by the false appearance things present and which mislead into error, not directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived opinion, by prejudice.
ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER
