I don’t know if anyone else has noticed, but my social media feeds have been kinder and gentler recently. In the heyday of the Trump era, there seemed to be a nutter creeping into every thread. I figured that sooner or later, as they always do, these unhappy people would discover that their present hobby horse was as empty and unfulfilling as the last one, and move on to greener pastures.
Well, either this has happened, or Facebook’s algorithms have read my preferences, because the nasties have been receding.
Which is why a recent thread showed up so blatantly. Somebody has cobbled together a network of “facts” that show that the graves at the residential school in Kamloops don’t actually exist, and has posted their argument on Facebook because it’s “worth discussing.” It was disappointing to find that the nastiness is still out there.
I’m not going to repeat the arguments, because they don’t deserve the attention, and I’m not going to argue against them, because at the moment they haven’t been proven wrong and those who believe in them are impervious to logic anyway. My point is that the harm done by such a discussion is far greater than any benefit that might arise, and those who start such an argument before the data is available have to question their own motivation.
“Truth” Is Not an Ultimate Good
We’ve all heard the argument that there is only one god, and all other gods are false. I think the point of view that there is only one Truth and any other point of view is false is even more dangerous.
Look from Another Angle
There is a time and a place for any truth. It isn’t a matter of whether a fact is true or not. It’s the use you put it to. Let’s say, for example, that I had definitive proof that gods do not exist. Yes, I know a lot of you are thinking, “Well, that’s true.”
Doesn’t matter.
It’s what I do with my truth that counts. You may think you’re doing a people a favour by giving them the truth. Looked at from their point of view, you’re attacking the belief system upon which they have based their personality and their lives. Why would you want to do that?
What’s Your Motivation?
If you’re really honest, you have to ask yourself what you get out of it. If you’re sure it’s only the sense that you’ve done a good deed, fine. But if your truth tends towards some political leaning or other, you have to be honest with yourself. How much harm will it do to preach this truth? Balance this against how much good will come of it.
Let’s say you know a young person who has a wonderful idea about starting a new business, which you know from experience is pretty sure to fail. Will you be helping them by arguing against it? Actually, no, you won’t. For many practical, social, and emotional reasons, you’ll probably do more harm than good. You’d be better to help them do a proper business analysis and let them make their own decisions.
Residential Schools
And when it comes to anything to do with residential school graveyards, no matter what your motivation or the strength of your data, believe me, now is not the time to “discuss” any “facts.” Only one fact counts; the Canadian government has spent a couple of hundred years treating indigenous people badly, and we are all suffering the effects. The actual number of graves at the Kamloops residential school is immaterial. The important point is that, instead of hiding information as the government and the church has done for decades, we now do everything we can to make information available.
The Bottom Line
My suspicion is that the people who are making this big fuss about the Truth right now will find another excuse not to believe it when the facts are all in. My advice to them is to pick their battles more wisely. It’s time for them to move along to another right-wing issue, because the vast majority of Canadians don’t agree with them.
Reconciliation doesn’t come from the unvarnished truth. It comes from compassion.