The Slippery Truth

by Tom Bowes

Fall, 2008
In the middle of our winter this year, which was by all accounts one of the harshest on record, I came to the conclusion I needed a break that involved drinks with umbrellas and soft warm breezes.  And because I have a weakness for cigars, Cuba seemed to be the right place to go.    Although we spent more time traveling through Cuba this time, I got the distinct impression that things had not changed much in the ten years since I had been there last.  The music is divine, the food is bad, the wine is worse and the people are friendly, well educated and incredibly enterprising.

One difference I noticed was the historic part of Havana. It had been renovated extensively and looked great.  It was also curiously devoid of people.  I couldn’t figure it out at the time, and only found out when I got back home that we were there the day Fidel handed over power to his brother Raoul.  Many pundits have been wondering for some time if Fidel is even alive.  One thing for sure is that Cuban authorities are working hard to manage the truth.  Without judging too quickly, our own governments and corporations spend considerable effort “spinning” the truth for our own good.  We spin, we stretch and we bake the truth like it is pizza.  The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth seems to be open for interpretation.

The challenge of “truths” are that they are often at odds with one another.  For instance, it has been said, “The truth can set you free.  “They” also say “The truth hurts”.  Does this mean freedom hurts?  Well a universal truth (UT#1) is that progress cannot be achieved without suffering. Cubans know that one.  But isn’t the goal of progress to end suffering? (UT#2).  So which one is true?  I suppose “you can’t handle the truth” (apologies to Jack Nicholson) when the truth is inconvenient (apologies to Al Gore) or when institutions have something embarrassing to hide or feel the need to manage the truth for our own good, and ahem, theirs.   

Do we really want to know the truth?  After all, ignorance is bliss (UT#3).  I wonder about that one too because if ignorance was bliss, there would likely be fewer people complaining. 

To sort out the confusion, we often look to others to lay it all out for us.  The guru industry will continue to thrive because their come-on is that they hold the truth (and it usually comes in seven parts).  News flash:  they don’t.  I have discovered that when someone lays claim to “the way”, I need to turn around and run the “other way” as quickly as I can.  As my favorite bumper sticker declares “My Karma ran over your Dogma”.  Andre Gide said “Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it”.  The set positions, thick filters and moral high-ground of those rich in dogmatic cant frighten me to the core, for the influence they have over the lazy and those that lack the courage to seek and speak the truth for themselves is palpable. 

Warren Buffet and Bill Gates don’t have the truth.  Neither Al Gore nor David Suzuki has it.  Obama, Osama and even Oprah do not own it either.  If the Buddha had the corner on enlightenment, does that make Jesus and Mohammad chopped liver?  Which guru to believe?  A new level of confusion unfolds.  These people (and many others) either have divine inspiration or are profoundly misguided, and that depends solely where you were born, your own perspective and what you want to hear.  We all believe the Truth we perceive, but we only perceive the Truth we believe (UT#4). 

If you are interested in the truth, may I be so bold to suggest that we stop looking to the guru-du-jour to find it.  That is not to say you can not learn from them.  They may indeed have more experience, superior intelligence and valuable wisdom to share, but they are only sharing their truth. What would it take to be your own guru? to seek your own truth?   Moral courage starts with speaking your truth, but that is hard to do if you do not know it or feel it. Begin by asking what is important to you. What kind of world do you want to live in, or have your children live in?  And don’t stop asking yourself tough questions about what is blocking you from making it happen. Your truth, the only one that is important, will be somewhere in there. 

Sound simple?  Well we know that nothing is ever as simple as it first appears (UT#5).  To tell you the whole truth (because I feel you can handle it), this little exercise can take a lifetime to figure out.  So understand from the beginning that the more you know, the more you realize how little you know (UT#6).  I wonder if the gurus have figured that out. 

There are many universal truths of course (I have shared six already!).  Like ...

There are others ... but the ultimate truth is that no truth is universal, everything has its exception.
The only exception to the rule that everything has its exception is the rule itself! (UT#13)

My truth starts with being fortunate to have been born in one of the greatest nations on Earth, even though it is hotter in Cuba in February than Toronto (UT#4).   

I am grateful for being part of a tolerant, free, socially progressive and prosperous society.  I find it distasteful, dare I say, to whine about the outrageous taxes we pay, or the price of food and gas, when so many have nothing but oxen to transport what they need to survive.   I live like a king relative to most, and ought not forget it.

Another truth of mine is that I often feel “outside”, more uncomfortable joining with people who proclaim to know “the way” out of the dark wood that so many are eager to follow.  “Groupthink” happens when someone with charisma can influence the masses.  It ends up being limiting at the least, perilous at most.  The “Wisdom of Crowds” only becomes wise when diverse minds are free to speak their truth which then liberates the possibilities, and allows people to compete on ideas.

Going back to my first question – does this mean freedom hurts?  Yes it does, if we look at it fully.  In addition to the personal power, conviction and purpose, reckoning with freedom means choice and with choice comes responsibility and anxiety.  The alternative is the prison of no choice and our fate being laid out before us by our gurus we entrust.  Do we give our power away, so we can play victim? Do we leave decisions to others, so we can complain later about them?  Our freedom creates a culture of entitlement when we are unwilling to bear any of the personal responsibility that comes with it.

I sometimes feel a certain shame when those who have so little still find the happiness that eludes those that have so much. The culture of entitlement that exists in Western society is the antithesis of what I experienced with the enterprising people I met in Cuba.  Are they less free than, say Americans, who are prohibited from visiting Cuba? Albert Camus said “the only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion”.   Otherwise you have isolated yourself, living only for yourself, thinking you are entitled to a free and easy life.  These are the loudest whiners.

Even though I might feel like an “outsider”, when I express my truth I attract people to it. A cause is shared by people who are passionate about having it manifest.  Camus also said “A taste for truth at any cost is a passion that spares nothing”.  I can tell you in no uncertain terms, without trying, my company has attracted people with incredible talent matched by remarkable passion.  They might not be as off-centre as I am, or perhaps they are further out on the fringe.  It doesn’t matter, because they have their own truth – and I love them for it. 

Viva la revolucion!!