I love movies…
Maybe more than pizza,
But not as much as
That other thing ;-)
On the way back from Costa Rica
I say the movie “Denial” on the plane.
Awesome in many ways, and not the least of which was its message for
HARMONY
SPOILER ALERT (This post may give you a little more about the movie than you want to know before you see it - but I don't give away the ending).
"Denial" is a historical drama about author
Debra Lipstadt’s book about holocaust denier David Irving, and his libel suit against her.
The trial is in England where the presumption is guilt, not innocence as it is in the US.
So, the burden of proof is on her to prove that the Holocaust really existed,
And she finds out sometimes proving things that are real, is harder than you’d think.
Amovie worth seeing for many, many reasons.
A few thoughts and questions inspired by the movie that I found powerful …
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN SOMEONE QUESTIONS WHAT TRULY “IS” – THINGS THAT TRULY HAPPENED AND FORCES YOU TO PROVE THAT THEY ARE TRUE…
There are many things in our lives that are TRUE.
I realize that I find comfort in absolute truths. I think we all do.
It’s part of the reason I love harmony, and the website is titled “absolutetruth.sidestep.com”.
It unsettles me deeply when things that are already true are questioned.
It unsettles me because the truth becomes pillars that we build on, and when things that are deeply understood and accepted are questioned – it unsettles everything.
I want to understand what is true…
I want to build on truth…
(Side note: This is why some of Trumps comments concern me so – they unsettle accepted and REAL TRUTHS that creates doubt and distrust that could unsettle the world beyond what people understand. There are too many people wishing the world was the different and willing to erase pillars of truth to see the world they want to see it.)
BOTH SIDES DON’T ALWAYS DESERVE A VOICE!
In the movie, and in real live, Deborah’s attorney’s decide, despite her arguments, NOT to prove that the Holocaust really happened.
They decide to PROVE that the accuser of libel is racist and motivated to distort history to promote his bias.
I was with Deb.
I wanted them to prove that the holocaust was real, because I KNOW it was.
I wanted them to BLOW this guy up with the TRUTH!
The attorneys did not want to…
They said things like “if we give him a voice, we give him exactly what he wants… We make him credible. We give him a stage”.
Just the fact that the trial was going on was making people accept the argument and the POSSIBILITY that the holocaust hadn’t happened.
The attorney defending Deb wouldn’t even look at David Irving. His entire defense was built on discrediting him at every level.
THIS IS PARAMOUNT HERE… FOR ME… AND MAYBE FOR YOU…
"BOTH" SIDES DON'T ALWAYS DESERVE A VOICE…
NOT EVERY IDEA DESERVES TO BE CONSIDERED…
NOT EVERY EMOTION DESERVES TO BE VETTED…
NOT EVERY PERSON, PERHAPS, DESERVES A SECOND CHANCE… (I struggle with that one)…
Ok – let’s go back one…
NOT EVERY EMOTION DESERVES TO BE VETTED…
For some reason in my approach to life and harmony –
I give EVERYTHING in my head a voice…
EVERYTHING...
There is value in that, but there is also danger and unnecessary struggle....
Could there be a different approach?
Could there be situations where one side doesn't get a voice?
I GIVE EVERY SIDE
AN EQUAL VOICE typically,
until
I can PROVE one idea or version better than the other…
WHAT IF I DIDN’T GIVE EVERY EMOTION A VOICE?
WHAT IF THERE ARE THINGS THAT I DEEPLY ACCEPT AS TRUE BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALREADY BEEN PROVEN?
WHAT IF I DON’T REQUESTION THINGS – BUT RATHER ACCEPT THINGS AND BUILD ON TRUTH…
I am sorry if this is too vague…
Things like my own competence, my own intent, my own intrinsic worth and value…
I give EVERYTHING and EVERYONE a voice, and I believe in total it makes me more open minded and approachable…
BUT, it also makes others occasionally say that I “flip flop” because I change my mind (THIS doesn’t bother me)…
BUT, it also makes me WORK to QUESTION and attempt to REPROVE my own worth over and over… and that is exhausting and it potentially KEEPS me from BUILDING forward and upward…
“DENIAL” of absolute truths is dangerous because it unsettles everything.
There is danger in putting too many things in the category of absolute truth… HISTORY certainly qualifies, but if its history before we lived, are we certain that we have understood it objectively? Clearly history is written by the winners the further back you go in history… “Fortunately” the holocaust is recent enough that we have enough people associated with it that can speak to it from all sides…
THANK GOD the Germans didn’t win and write history for the world…
WHAT IDEAS or EMOTIONS DO YOU HAVE in your life, in your business, that do NOT deserve a voice?
NOT EVERY EMOTION,
NOT EVERY IDEA
DESERVES A VOICE…
That is a new thought for me…
one that I am going to have to linger on,
to better understand,
And to hopefully
someday
apply
very carefully,
In harmony,
Nestor