The Proof in the Pudding

As I noted, I wrote the previous post yesterday and consider the fact that I was somewhat reluctant to publish the post as evidence of the phenomenon I was describing.  The herd instinct is strong in humans and is a partial explanation for why the Lord has commanded us to form a church and meet together often.  It is why like minded people associate together.  Mutual reinforcement helps maintain a consistent world view.   It is very difficult to be a lone voice in the wilderness; I believe few have the strength to act as such a voice.  I certainly don't.

I suppose some would complain that such associations (some might call them echo chambers) lead to closed mindedness.  That certainly may be the case, but being open minded at all times and in all things is not in my view a virtue.  Keeping such an open mind leads to indecision and dithering.  After all if you are always waiting for the next idea to come round in case it may be more attractive you would never get out of bed. 

If you keep an open mind about a truth once you have discovered it either you are not convinced it is a truth, you don't care about the truth or you don't believe in the concept of truth.  If something is true then it is appropriate to close your mind to alternatives different from that truth which by definition are not true.  This is seen as a radical stance I am sure, one which few would support because of rather obvious difficulties.

The key it seems to me is to be very sure that what you consider to be true is actually true, but once you have adopted that stance you can't look back.  It also seems to me that you need to be very careful about what you decide is true.  The extreme (but appropriate) stance towards truth cannot be taken about very many things.  Ideas of politics or science or other earthly pursuits rarely would merit being considered absolute unassailable truths.