Seekers of Truth

I can still hear the voice of the elderly teacher who taught my driver’s education class. “Don’t be a reactive sucker!” As teenagers, my classmates and I probably didn’t understand how important that advice would be not only in driving, but in life. We all giggled and snickered when he would blast this random saying in the middle of class or during a drive. He wanted us to learn self control so we wouldn’t flip cars by overcorrecting and we wouldn’t make bad snap decisions that can derail lives. We did not appreciate the wisdom he had gained with his life experience, and only wondered among ourselves how the man who had taught some of our parents to drive was still teaching. This is something that my adult brain has come to appreciate that my teenage mind wasn’t ready for. His advice may be something that will help all of us as we navigate the reality in which we currently find ourselves: one with 24-hour news cycles, clamoring voices from influencers on many platforms, pundits, dissenters, opinion ruling over information, scams that look so real that they trick even those who try to stay aware and alert, and agendas both seen and unseen. 

I also never really liked the word “sucker.” Maybe he used that word to show how bad being a reactive person is. He was saying that being reactive is something that is done by a person who is easily tricked or deceived or someone who is naive or gullible, making them a target for scams or manipulation. I certainly never want to be that.

In our class he taught us the importance of knowing what to do in emergency situations. It was important to know what to do if something went wrong in the dangerous piece of machinery we were learning to handle, or if hazards on the road required a quick response. Sometimes you have to make quick decisions in life! But if you have prepared, as he taught us, if you know what to watch for, if you’ve taken care of maintenance needs, planned ahead, and practiced what to do when icy roads send your car spinning, you can make those quick decisions with a calm mind.

What does that preparation look like in day-to-day life for dealing with the unimaginable circumstances that we end up facing? How can we keep our cool when the voices around us are clamoring for us to pick a side in the newest urgent debate and prove our loyalty to what they insist is reason? The pull to weigh in on current events as they are unfolding sometimes feels like the only way to show that we are compassionate people or passionate about our causes. How, then, can we know what is true, who is right, and what to do?

The story is told of Stephen Covey opening his address at a business convention by asking those in attendance to cover their eyes and then point north. Then he had them uncover their eyes and see that the people in the room were pointing in every direction. I admit, I would have a hard time doing that in my own home, let alone a strange convention center. Then he would ask them how they could know which way was really north. He would suggest voting on it; could that really be decided by popular opinion though? No. He would suggest letting those with the most money decide which direction was correct; but that was obviously wrong as well. Finally, after some other suggestions, Mr. Covey pulled from his pocket a compass. The compass was able to show for certain which way was north. Truth isn’t changeable by popular opinion or by those who have the most money, even if it sometimes feels like that is what the world is telling us. 

There are true principles that we can use to guide our lives. We can always turn to God for guidance and seek inspiration through prayer. We can, and should, also pray for and seek to have the spiritual gift of discernment. There are-time tested sources that have remained constant through generations that we can study. Frequently, what is most wise is to wait, to observe, to weigh things out in our minds, to research, and to discuss openly, remembering that everyone with whom we are speaking, or about whom we are speaking, is also a child of God. All people make mistakes; I know, because I make them. All people need grace; I know, because I need it. 

It is easy to get excited about a great deal or opportunity, but it has been proven time and again that something that is being pushed in urgency that feels too good to be true probably is. And if it is such a great thing, that will only be proven by careful examination. It is important to be aware of our surroundings and observant. Listen to warnings, be careful of where you go and whom you trust, and as my teacher worked so hard to instill in us, be prepared by making decisions ahead of time. 

We do not want to be the type of people who make rash decisions that then require course corrections. We do not want to jump on bandwagons that are hurtling toward a cliff. We do not want to be “reactive suckers.” We do want to be seekers of truth, discerning, prepared, patient, calm, mindful, observant, and faithful.

Photo by Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash