Lying Cheerleader, IV

The Lying Cheerleader, or, The Truth Teller's Paradox, Part IV

By John Taylor; 5 December, 2005

We have seen Abdu'l-Baha give the example of a doctor telling a lie in
order to cure a patient, and Plato cites an analogous case of a
teacher who suppresses parts of the whole or metaphorical truth in
order to give lessons suitable to the young and unprepared. These are
beneficial lies, since as Plato holds, the true lie or, as we might
say now, pre-existent or meta-lie, is to deceive oneself about what is
highest and most important for our souls. Compared to that spoken
truths and falsehoods are mere outward expressions, their truth value
trivial and negligible.

"...ignorance in the soul of him who is deceived may be called the
true lie; for the lie in words is only a kind of imitation and shadowy
image of a previous affection of the soul, not pure unadulterated
falsehood." (Republic, Book II)

Evil, then, is not a positive force but a malingering soul that tells
a lie to itself deep down. Evil as imitation, as unauthentic soul
power. It is so harmful for most practical purposes because an
imitator allows social considerations to co-opt their responsibility
to arrive at truth independently. One does not say what one thinks but
what one thinks others want to hear. Imitation is the father of lies.
It is fatal not only to individual truth telling but expands into
groups lies as it negates consultation and degrades the knowledge of a
group. Groups can be extremely perceptive; they can potentially be
smarter than its smartest member. But if too many imitate it sinks
into a condition where it becomes stupider than its stupidest, crueler
than its cruelest member.

Imitation makes mobs, a phenomenon described in a 19th century book
called "The Madness of Crowds." James Surowiecki in his amazing new
book, "The Wisdom of Crowds," (whose title is a play on "The Madness
of Crowds") documents Plato's thesis of "evil as imitation" thoroughly
with many examples. One is the stock market. Studies have found that
investors who follow the stock market closely, inundating themselves
with up-to-the-minute data feeds actually lose money when they would
have profited if had just let their stock portfolio sit while they
ignored the market and its ups and downs. Why? Because the huge amount
of knowledge they get is mostly imitative, it is not about the value
of companies but the behavior and reactions of other investors.
Imitation has nothing to do with the truth, with the real causes of
things. The effect of imitation is bad for everybody; with millions of
dollars chasing one another around the market becomes volatile, easily
destabilized and is susceptible to bubbles, feeding frenzies and
crashes.

Surowiecki cites another famous example, originally pointed out by JM
Keynes of how imitation takes over a certain kind of newspaper beauty
contest. In this competition a contestant wins a prize if he or she
can pick out the six photos that the most readers will consider the
prettiest girls among hundreds of photos of models. This contest
inevitably weeds out not the six most beautiful faces but the most
popular or stylish ones. That is because the winners of the contest
are rewarded not for what they think themselves is beautiful but for
what they think that others will think is pretty. The problem is that
there is no end to it, it is a vicious circle. Even better than what I
think is pretty is what I think that others will think is pretty and
better than that is what I think that others will think that others
will think that others will think is pretty. It goes on forever. No
wonder crowds of imitators go mad as they feed cannibalistically on
each others' thoughts!

It is impossible to overestimate the ills that are unleashed by this
kind of thinking. For one thing, it results in pain and suffering for
the Lord of the World. Consider what the Bab wrote in the Persian
Bayan (VI, 11),

"Everyone is eagerly awaiting His appearance, yet since their inner
eyes are not directed towards Him sorrow must needs befall Him. ...
But if all men were to observe the ordinances of God no sadness would
befall that heavenly Tree." (Selections, 96)

Where are their eyes directed if it is not to the Lord of the age? To
each other, to what others think is important and holy and true. The
photo of Jesus, or Muhammad, or the Bab, does not even get chosen for
consideration in this most important of all beauty contests. As the
Bab laments, even the station of believer was denied him by the
imitative leaders of his time, much less a position of leadership.
This lack of perception is caused by many people relying upon what
others think is holy, rather than what they judge holiness to be
themselves. Let us close with this prayer by the Ancient Beauty, a
prayer that seems to me to be designed to act as a remover of
imitation in every heart that says it. Let it purify us of imitation
and the violence and injustice that it breeds.

LXXXVI

Glorified art Thou, O Lord my God! I yield Thee thanks for that Thou
hast made me the target of divers tribulations and the mark of
manifold trials, in order that Thy servants may be endued with new
life and all Thy creatures may be quickened.

I swear by Thy glory, O Thou the Best Beloved of the worlds and the
Desire of all such as have recognized Thee! The one reason I wish to
live is that I may reveal Thy Cause, and I seek the continuance of
life only that I may be touched by adversity in Thy path.

I implore Thee, O Thou by Whose summons the hearts of all them who
were nigh unto Thee have soared into the atmosphere of Thy presence,
to send down upon Thy loved ones what will enable them to dispense
with all else except Thee. Endue them, then, with such constancy that
they will arise to proclaim Thy Cause, and will call on Thy name,
before all that are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth, in such wise that
the Pharaonic cruelties inflicted by the oppressors among Thy servants
will not succeed in keeping them back from Thee.

Thou art, verily, the God of power, the God of glory, the God of
strength and wisdom.

-Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations, 146-147

--
John Taylor

badijet@gmail.com