Refusing to Accept the Paradox of Truth

I like to consider myself odd. Not a unique butterfly, snowflake, or other half-arsed metaphor, but one of the odd ones out. I may just be one of the people desperately wanting to feel special, or I may like the concept of being a lone hero against the world trying to save the day, but I think it's because I oppose an ideology I see everywhere. It goes by many names, but these are the most common: reality vs. fiction, facts vs. falsehoods, right and wrong. The idea that the truth is simple, and more specifically, that in a debate there is only one corrects answer, only one person is right. Of course, the very nature of it makes it impossible to fight against, as I am currently claiming that my idea, that there is no such thing as strict right and wrong, is right. Herein lies the paradox of this truth. How can you argue anything if you don't believe anything can be completely proven?

The thing about paradoxes is, they're very hard to understand. They confuse people. They make people's heads hurt. And, in my experience, people do not like them in the least. The majority of people I know or know of like clean cut truth vs. lies, reality vs. fiction, they want to world to be in black and white. The problem with this is quite clear to me: it leaves people inflexible, defensive, and pitted against one another. Without Accepting the intense complexity of the truth, the need to constantly update your ideas without ever just accepting one source as gospel, people firmly ground themselves in their beliefs, and they teach their children these beliefs, and they distrust those who go against these beliefs. This rigidity refuses compromise, resulting in nothing but an impasse any time an important subject is brought up. This is particularly relevant in America, where politics has devolved into two factions, Republican and Democrat, and you must conform to one or the other. Even worse, these parties are so convinced that their ideas are the correct ones that they would rather fight the other over everything they want rather than stepping back and considering if they would prefer that plan to their own.

I love paradoxes. I love the way I can think about them for as long as I like without worrying about some straightforward solution, and I love that Tim O'Brien acknowledges and accepts the paradox of truth. But I also believe that examining and fully considering the paradoxes of the world is vital in moving forward. By shunning paradox, you leave yourself open to rigid beliefs and unacknowledged hypocrisy.