I’m not here today to give answers, this is a short essay asking questions.
How much truth are you willing to give up in your search for happiness? What if finding out the truth guarantees that you'll be eternally unhappy? Will you still go in seach of it?
Who remembers the Matrix movie? Morpheus offers Neo the choice of a red or blue pill. A choice to stay in the Matrix and be eternally controlled or to escape the Matrix to a place of truth and happiness — or so we thought. When watching the movie, I thought the place outside the Matrix would be this utopia, a place of perfect happiness, beauty, and serendipity. A place devoid of pain and hurt. Imagine my surprise when I found out the “real world” was one filled with deprivation, ragged clothes, broken machines, basically everything one can imagine of a broken city — a dystopia.
At some point in the movie, there was a character, Cypher, who betrayed them because he couldn’t “The Real World”. To be honest, I can see Cypher’s point, the real world did suck. They had to fight for their lives every single day. Many people would see Cypher as the bad guy (and he was), but I empathize with him. Who wouldn’t want to leave this wretched world. Why stay in a world that’s subjectively worse than the one you were in? Notice my use of the word “subjective”, as if to suggest that suffering can be objective.
Here's a question that we philosophical (human) beings must grapple with, “What’s the purpose of truth if it only helps you live a worse life?” I can only imagine that this was Cypher’s thought.
The Matrix was better to live in. I thought to myself, what’s so bad about living a lie if you don’t know it’s a lie? From your experience, it’s just life, everyday real life. Why is so much importance placed on Truth?
Well, for one Truth is reality and to live in truth is to have reality on your side. Again, here’s something I think we understand instinctively as a species, that lies ultimately dissolve. And with this dissolution we have reality working against us. BUT, and it’s a Kardashian but, what if we had an ultimate lie, a lie that wouldn’t dissolve? Say, like the Matrix, why chase after the truth then?
The purpose of this essay isn’t to discuss extensively the nature of truth. It’s to, as I said earlier, ask you a question. The question is similar to the “Red pill or Blue pill” question. The question is in the title “Happiness or Truth?”
Happiness or Truth?
To answer this question, you need to be able to ask yourself, “what does happiness mean?” People think of happiness in different ways at different times. In moment-to-moment action, happiness is often related to pleasure (food, sex, alcohol, entertainment). In year-to-year action it’s tied to how we are faring with respect to our expectations for our lives. Over the course of our lives, we come to understand happiness as peace.
Most people can imagine themselves, at a point in their lives, being in this equanimous state. Peaceful, with very few worries in their lives. For the ones that can see this future state, they strive for it. The striving occurs in different aspects of their lives. They look for the most suitable job, the most stable partner, the most stable apartment, etc. We look different parts of our lives to find this peace.
For the purpose of this argument, we would say this “thing”, the one you get from the accumulation of all those things, partner, job, apartment, is “happiness”. Let’s say you have all these things, not perfectly, but you’re relatively at peace. I’d guess the reason you are at peace with having them is that you have accepted them as real, therefore you are happy. For instance, will you be enthralled with the idea of being loved if it wasn’t true love?
Now what if someone, say Morpheus, told you that the reality you inhabit is a lie? Everything that gives you peace is false. Your love is not true love; your house is really a house of cards. Would you still cling to it? I guess the answer would be, No. Or an easier question to answer would be, “Would it still be as meaningful to you?”
It’s almost impossible for a human being to be happy once they find out that happiness, love, however intoxicating it may be, is based on a lie. However, sometimes we do cling to our delusions. And deservedly so, because for some delusions, we spend a great deal of time building them.
Now, imagine you’re offered the choice between truth and happiness. The red pill on the one hand, and the blue pill on the other hand. However, there is a stipulation; something you must not only know but accept. The stipulation is that whatever is on the other side of the truth will make you eternally unhappy. That is, to choose the red pill is to choose existential unhappiness. Are you willing to make that sacrifice? Ask yourself. Think of the most unhappy you’ve ever been and imagine being that all the time. Are you really sure you want that?
The truth does set you free, but what does that freedom look like? Does it guarantee happiness? Does that kind of freedom translate to happiness? Remember that saying, “the truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off”. But what if this revelation was more than just a pissing off for a moment.
Perhaps we can make another argument. One that says that happiness and truth can’t be opposite. Someone that values understanding the true nature of existence but also values his peace will posit and say, happiness must follow truth. That is, for this person what makes them happy is that they know the truth, therefore truth must follow happiness. I can’t speak to the validity of this conclusion; it seems rather unlikely.
Happiness comes as a result of having our lives in order. It doesn’t exist in a vacuum as something that can be pursued in and of itself. We can say that living in truth is the only way we can have our lives in order. Of course, another unjustifiable claim. Now, what claim can I come up with that is justifiable you may ask?
This question of “happiness or truth” is important because it serves a self-awareness function. If you pick happiness over truth, it means you’re more likely to engage in self-delusion than the person who picks truth over happiness. This is one perspective.
On the other hand, if you choose truth over happiness, it means you’re less comfortable with uncertainty. In choosing to just be happy, you’re more comfortable with reality as it presents itself to you. However, with truth you’re much more likely to doubt everything that presents itself to you. This is a virtue, but not an absolute one.
A search for absolute truth can unravel the spirit that binds the body and mind together; hope
I have spent a great deal of time thinking about this, “would I choose happiness or truth?” Knowing myself I’d probably pick truth. Although I’d have to admit that the alternative is extremely enticing. Do I think everyone should pick Truth over Happiness? I don’t know. I think there are situations where living under some delusion helps you. I fear after writing in so many words, I have failed to make a point. But like I said in the first sentence, this is not an essay with answers, it’s one with questions. It helps you think (at least I hope it did).
Do not pick Truth under the delusion that it will ultimately lead to happiness. There is nothing in the nature of truth that guarantees you that. In fact, it is more likely that the truth leaves you unhappy, or at best indifferent. If you must choose Truth, choose it as a stand-alone virtue. Wherever it may take you, be ready to go with it. It’s a difficult choice and it may be worth.