A Person Of Influence

What if you were in charge? If you were a person of influence, do you see yourself imprisoning one of the great minds of your generation? Maybe it sounds a little less mid-evil if you just put them under house arrest.

When traditions and core beliefs are challenged, historically, someone takes a fall. Society has always had a love affair with certain unchallengeable beliefs. Step over the line, and you’ll be thrown to the wolves, or even burned at the stake. Think, Joan of Arc, Galileo, Copernicus, and Martin Luther.

When traditions and core beliefs are challenged, historically, someone takes a fall. Society has always had a love affair with certain unchallengeable beliefs. #therationaltruth Share on X

Going Against The Norm

Joan of Arc is considered a saint in France for her role in the coronation of Charles VII. Yet she was tried and convicted on accusations of heresy and blasphemy because she wore men’s clothes and refused to submit to the church. Only time would place her legacy amongst the great warriors of all time. Her convictions and loyalty to her country cost Joan of Arc her life.

When cultic followings spill over to a false sense of right or wrong, people get hurt and societies can even become paralyzed from historic behavioral norms. Copernicus had hypothesized that the earth rotated around the sun. Galileo had performed his own studies and went so far as to promote this new theory, supported by his experiments. It all sounds good until we realize that he was arrested for pushing back against the famed Aristotle’s teachings. The church claimed that everything evolved around the earth. He spent many of the last years of his life under house arrest for teaching truth, substantiated by experiments that are credible to this day.

Certitude

Copernicus and Galileo ran up against something called “certitude”.
Certitude is “the state of being certain of something; complete assurance.”

In the days of these esteemed scientists, the church laid down the law and determined what one was to believe in. Any new idea or concept threatened the church, and there was a price to pay. If the laws of the church were established, it wouldn’t be too hard to make a claim that someone was, in fact, practicing heresy, and to dish out a stern punishment.

Certitude cast its ugly net around Martin Luther in the 16th century. When he promoted a theology of a saving grace, being justified by God’s grace, it was in direct contradiction to what others were “certain” to be the one true path to salvation. It wasn’t a small thing. Luther was declared to be an outlaw and his writings were banned. What is often missed is that Luther was a fugitive, and it was a crime for anyone to give him food or shelter. The official edict even allowed for anyone to kill Martin Luther without triggering a legal consequence.

So much for having an opinion and sharing it outside of your own four walls!

What strikes me as perhaps the most telling fact of these instances of persecution is how, after centuries of progress, these three were challenged, arrested, and disgraced for the conviction they possessed because of their arduous study and findings. Findings that have now stood the test of time. Yet at their moment in history, they were deemed heretics as they challenged the populist ideals that were present.

Even the Catholic Church agreed in the first part of this century on a “common understanding of justification by God’s grace through faith in Christ.” Of course, the Protestant faiths have stood with Luther all along. Yet the Catholic Church has paradoxically chose never to lift the 1521 excommunication. I guess it just wouldn’t look right.

We Need Convictions

We need to know what we believe in, and why. We desperately need to have convictions, yet convictions and loyalty to the wrong belief system will stifle society in a myriad of ways. Interestingly, holding fast to a flawed belief system is almost always borne out and exposed, along with the repercussions. It’s just a matter of time. Stalin, Hitler, and Mao murdered millions while gathering believers in their system and history has shined a bright light on their deeds.

Poor old Galileo was heard muttering something as he was led away from court. It is said that he fussed, “Yes, but it moves”, as he spoke of the earth’s rotation. He knew he was right. Martin Luther had experienced God’s grace as well as read about it in the scripture. Joan of Arc lived out her convictions and died for them. All of these examples were minority positions at the time. In some cases, it took centuries to prove their convictions out. Everyone of us is the beneficiary of such steadfastness in the face of judgement.

Certitude Is Ever-Present

I see certitude as being ever-present throughout my lifetime. The discriminatory racial paradigm present in the 1960s was to many a right religion, above challenge, and worth fighting for. When Martin Luther King came along with a full knowledge of the constitution, he challenged the unwritten law of the south. Certitude gave white society the right to suppress blacks and gave license to oppression. In fact, the belief that they were absolutely in the right empowered and emboldened white leadership to move well beyond basic civil and human rights to abuse an entire race they had profited from.

Certitude was the force that enabled slave owners to justify horrible abuses and behaviors for centuries. The feeling and belief that you are right, even when the belief system is flawed is one of the most dangerous examples of licensure known to mankind. In fact, I believe that it is the often the beginning of the breakdown of society.

Deep Truths

Paul Hewitt says, “With the 20/20 vision of hindsight, we can see that many of the “deep truths” that were the cornerstones of whole civilizations were shallow reflections of the prevailing ignorance of the time. Many of the problems that plagued societies stemmed from this ignorance and the resulting misconceptions; much of what was held to be true simply wasn’t true.”

I think Hewitt has touched on the real issue here, and that is “truth”. When a society chooses to depart from its traditional and natural search for truth, and accepts a form of “pseudo-truth”, a severe degeneration is inevitable. Especially when we cling to past ideals which were based on falsehoods or legalism.

Maeterlinck said it well; “At every crossway on the road that leads to the future, each progressive spirit is opposed by a thousand men appointed to guard the past.” Public opinion is tough to overcome, and nearly impossible to sway – even when tied to suspect values.

Motivated By Certitude

In today’s context, it is mind-blowing to consider that a few thousand people got worked up, followed their leader, and stormed our nation’s capital. Somehow they felt justified. They went into the Capitol with certitude as their motivator. They knew they were right. There was no doubt about it. I’ll never forget that night as I watched as the greatest nation ever breathed into existence was violated as these perpetrators broke our Republic’s code of honor and stormed the Capitol. I teared up as I watched in disbelief, knowing that the Citadel of Freedom was under attack and the world watched. It was heartbreaking.

They had been fed a line by several populist leaders that they had swallowed and acted on. They “knew” they were right. Nothing else mattered. The sheep had been loosed from their pen and were now following leaders propagating lies. The fallout continues to this day as division rules the day.

Certitude does several things when employed in pursuit of pseudo-truth.

• Certitude divides.
• Certitude discriminates.
• Certitude belittles.
• Certitude is ignorant.
• Certitude is exclusive.
• Certitude inhales the easily influenced.
• Certitude manipulates.
• Certitude foments militantism
• Certitude fouls judgement.
• Certitude quells reason.

Beware personal conviction and good values-based direction will backfire. You will end up paralyzed by the outcomes of certitude as listed above. Or you will end up in a militant camp, feeding on half-truths, disgruntled and buying into some scheme based on someone else’s idea of what perfect is. It’s a trap. One that should be avoided at all costs.

Protect How We Think

So what’s the answer? What is our best hedge against getting caught up in a movement, only to regret it later? These are tough questions for sure. Questions that many January 6 offenders surely ponder from their prison cell. We are to guard our hearts and minds. We really do need to be vigilant in protecting how we think. There isn’t an easy answer, and I am only suited to share what works for myself. But I think there are a few things we can do to guard against being caught up in some form of certitude as we navigate life.

• Look for common, telltale signs of the propagandists.
• Don’t feed from the same trough each night.
• Become good at vetting your sources of inputs.
• Don’t be naïve. Know that the left and right have impure motives to serve their constituencies.
• The right wants to be on friendly terms with the next president, and so does the left.
• They will do nothing to jeopardize that future interview with the leader of the free world.
• Consider your congressman’s indentured status to his or her party. It was paid for before they were elected.
• Consider that you are already a part of a community of certitude and risk expulsion from your social group. Guard your independence of thought and opinion.
• Determine that you will stand alone on your personal convictions, regardless of peer pressure.
• Don’t be oblivious to the hate that comes through your TV each night. There is a reason they preach hate as the hosts groom their audience for a singular message that brings viewers back.
• Notice that the pundits and politicians never give one ounce of grace. Not one concession, even if the position benefits America. They are motivated to keep you under their spell of hate and dislike for the other side. No wonder there is no middle, and no working across the aisle.
• Remember, these folks get paid millions to keep you on their team. In many cases, $20 million or more per year. They will say anything, and even spread lies, to keep you from looking elsewhere. These last bullets are admittedly directed at cable TV. Cable is the easy way out for many Americans. I know several friends that work all day and have a couple of hours free each night. They eat dinner and recline to see the “news”. With the only two hours they have, they invite arguments, hate, and distrust, into their living rooms. Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and formerly Tucker Carlson got paid hugely to propagate lies, which they were found guilty of when Fox paid out nearly $900 million and settled their case with Dominion in 2023. MSNBC is on a mission to skewer anything Republican. But there are alternative sources, and we need to realize that these cable networks are reaping the rewards of loyal customers that are feeding on exactly what has been determined to keep them coming back.

I know U.S. Senators and Congressman. I’ve been in their offices in Washington and in their homes. I remember when they were running for office and the phone rang it was the majority leader on the other end of the phone. The big national politicians come to town and hold fundraisers. The candidates ride on Air Force One with the president. But guess why this doesn’t work so well? When they get to Washington, they are already indebted to the party for the assistance in getting elected. They are a part of the clique. It feels so good to be a part of the club and one of the gang. It is nearly impossible to be an independent thinker and vote your conscience. I’ve seen it over and over, and it is difficult to observe.

People Of Certitude

They drink the same Kool Aide that put Galileo and Martin Luther under house arrest. Soon they have become such a part of the club that they are certain they are right, and the other side is wrong. They won’t concede an inch, for to do so would be defeat. They are a people of certitude, knowing that the other side is flawed. They have a new confidence and have morphed into the blinded and militant ways common to a people that believe their way is the only way. Bipartisanship becomes a thing of the past as each side chooses battle lines to prosecute the other side for some recent crime.

It was bizarre to me that when the Republicans won the house in the fall of 2022, one of their few agenda items was to go after and prosecute Hunter Biden. Campaign pledges of “Lower Taxes, Less Government” were traded for chasing Hunter Biden. Then, early on they said they would create a committee to pursue the “Weaponization of the Federal Government.” They are so concerned about remaining loyal to the former Republican president, that ahead of almost all other issues facing the Republic, they were going after Hunter Biden and the Justice Department in retaliation for the many alleged charges coming to fruition against Donald Trump. Elected officials on both sides have turned militant as they serve their leaders and punch their ticket to be in the club. It’s disappointing.

The Trump loyalists are either certain that their concerns relative to the former president are above most all other issues, or they are hedging a bet that he would again get the Republican nomination and of course they desire to be in close proximity to the power of the presidency.

Steve Daines the U.S. Senator from Montana is now considered to be in the top tier of Republican Senators. He is the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and declared early on in April of 2023 that he would endorse Trump for 2024. We can only speculate why he would do this so early before the field was even fully declared. It was shocking. I feel it has to do with posturing for position in a Trump administration. But now we move away from “certitude” to a discussion about peer pressure and being involved in an elite club that has little to do with independent thinking or personal conviction, and more to do with proximity to power.

Certitude Rhymes With Servitude

As I write this, it seems interesting that certitude rhymes with servitude. Servitude is: “A state of subjection to an owner or master. A lack of personal freedom, as to act as one chooses.” In the context of this writing on the cost associated with the certainty of being right, there is an obvious close parallel to being obedient to a fault as folks adopt a belief system that can get them in trouble. Its been going on for centuries.

Let us beware of the trap of certitude and take steps to liberate ourselves from any temptation to yield to an ideal based on anything less than the purest of motives.