Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
- John Keats, "Ode on a Grecian Urn"
Col Jessep: I'll answer the question. You want answers?
LTJG Kaffee: I think I'm entitled to them.
Col Jessep: You want answers?!
LTJG Kaffee: I want the truth!
Col Jessep: You can't handle the truth!
- from the 1992 film, "A Few Good Men"
“The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution.”― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
We went to see the Cherry Creek High School production of "Titanic" on Friday night. It was an exceptional show and the high school students performed brilliantly. Throughout the musical I was struck by Titanic's nickname, "the unsinkable ship." People believed fervently that the Titanic was infallible, the best the world had to offer. The wealthiest, most entitled folk of Europe and America sailed in luxury, convinced that their biggest issue lay with the time of arrival. Even as the ship succumbed to the icy Atlantic, some refused to believe that it would sink.
The truth was visible to the engineer who urged caution with regard to the ship's speed. It was visible to those who sent warnings about the icebergs, and to the architect who saw flaws in design and the absence of adequate lifeboats. Denying the truth cost over a thousand lives, the majority of which were less-advantaged passengers of the third class.
We believe the United States of America is the greatest country on earth. We believe that our beautiful earth, which supports such a wide and glamorous diversity of life, could never really fail us. We believe that America's peaceful transition of power could not be interrupted by one narcissistic individual. But what, really, is the truth?
Truth is beautiful and terrible and difficult to handle. Human minds often create their own unique version of the truth and stubbornly cling to that definition despite all evidence to the contrary. Can we handle the truth? Will we be given the chance? In recent weeks I have felt like a passenger on the Titanic. As funding for science and the arts (both pathways to truth) has been cut, as alternative facts have gained popularity, I'm convinced that we are on a slippery slope, sliding like passengers on the Titanic decks towards an icy ocean.
Who will save us? How will we save ourselves? Will only the first class passengers make it out, or will we open the doors to everyone? Treat the truth with caution, but let it out. We can - we have to - handle it.
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