Truth or compassion?

[mlittrell]

compassionately truthful

 

[Virtual ghost]

If I remember correctly the question was.

What are you more likely to say to other person if those two are opposite of each other in some situation?

Of course that almost everyone would choose both but that is not the point of the question.

 

[Haphazard]

I'm most likely to remain silent.

 

[Virtual ghost]

I'm most likely to remain silent.

I know what you mean.

 

[Haphazard]

I mean, people usually already know the truth. Most people aren't that thick. So I'd guess compassion is better, because not everyone can give themselves that.

I'm not good at compassion, though. So it's probably just best to keep my mouth shut.

 

[Salomé]

I mean, people usually already know the truth. Most people aren't that thick. So I'd guess compassion is better, because not everyone can give themselves that.

I'm not good at compassion, though. So it's probably just best to keep my mouth shut.

Not in my experience.

Keeping your mouth shut is a way of being compassionate, isn't that the point of the thread?

 

[Athenian200]

It depends on how much I trust them.

If I trust a person to take the truth without shooting the messenger, then I prefer to tell it to them (because they'll know me, and know why I'm doing it). If I don't trust them, I prefer to just be compassionate and try to avoid lying as much as possible while still making it sound good.

This may change if a person expressly states (and/or behaves consistently with) a preference for one or the other, though.

 

[Haphazard]

Not in my experience.

Keeping your mouth shut is a way of being compassionate, isn't that the point of the thread?

Keeping one's mouth shut is indecision and would probably cause more harm than either truth or compassion.

People usually know the truth. Usually it's buried. Either that, or on such a subject, the perspectives are so crossed that there is no truth. And even so, expression of the truth would probably butcher it so hard that it'd be useless anyway.

Compassion may not be best, but at least it's not futile.

 

[Salomé]

Keeping one's mouth shut is indecision and would probably cause more harm than either truth or compassion.

People usually know the truth. Usually it's buried. Either that, or on such a subject, the perspectives are so crossed that there is no truth. And even so, expression of the truth would probably butcher it so hard that it'd be useless anyway.

Compassion may not be best, but at least it's not futile.

No. You make a decision to keep your mouth shut. That decision may be motivated by compassion, or by cowardice - either way, it's still a decision.

How are you defining compassion?

If the truth is buried then people don't know it. Most people are ignorant, especially about themselves. Most people don't want to know the truth. Most people refuse to hear the truth even when it is delivered with the best of intentions.

Most efforts at communication are futile.

/pessimism.

 

[Haphazard]

Compassion is a blunt instrument. The lovely thing about it is that it usually gives expected results -- the worst is that you don't know how or why.

Truth is a precision tool. Most of the times, it does nothing. It's impossible to define and people refuse to hear it. So, for all intents and purposes, it doesn't even exist.

Now, when it comes to giving one's honest opinion, that's an entirely different matter.

 

[Salomé]

Compassion is a blunt instrument. The lovely thing about it is that it usually gives expected results -- the worst is that you don't know how or why.

Truth is a precision tool. Most of the times, it does nothing. It's impossible to define and people refuse to hear it. So, for all intents and purposes, it doesn't even exist.

Now, when it comes to giving one's honest opinion, that's an entirely different matter.

You still haven't defined compassion.

 

[Haphazard]

You still haven't defined compassion.

Anything that's given with the intent to help a person.

Even the 'slaps in the face' that most consider 'truth' are more accurately called compassion, because it's still help. Tough love is still love.

 

[Salomé]

Anything that's given with the intent to help a person.

Even the 'slaps in the face' that most consider 'truth' are more accurately called compassion, because it's still help. Tough love is still love.

Then where is the dichotomy?

I said "Truth is compassion" about 4 pages back.

 

[Haphazard]

Then where is the dichotomy?

I said "Truth is compassion" about 4 pages back.

Truth is something that can't be pried out. Truth is neutral and indifferent, already known but can't be expressed. So it's not truth that is compassion. Truth is simply not there, and has no reason to be involved.

 

[Salomé]

Truth is something that can't be pried out. Truth is neutral and indifferent, already known but can't be expressed. So it's not truth that is compassion. Truth is simply not there, and has no reason to be involved.

wha?

Truth can't be expressed?
What are you talking about?

Provide a concrete example of what you mean, pls.

 

[Thursday]

Truth is compassion.

About damn time someone besides me gets it.

 

[Haphazard]

wha?

Truth can't be expressed?
What are you talking about?

Provide a concrete example of what you mean, pls.

I just don't see it. Maybe someone else can see this bright and shiny truth, but I can't.

All I see is too many opinions projected on each other. And it all gets muddled and impossible. I'd prefer to just go with what seems to work.

 

[Salomé]

I just don't see it. Maybe someone else can see this bright and shiny truth, but I can't.

All I see is too many opinions projected on each other. And it all gets muddled and impossible. I'd prefer to just go with what seems to work.

A pragmatist.

So you're saying truth doesn't exist?

Whoa! This conversation just got way existential and shit!

 

[Haphazard]

A pragmatist.

So you're saying truth doesn't exist?

Whoa! This conversation just got way existential and shit!

Yeah.

See, the way I figure is that if everything's all existential and shit, the best thing to do is just go with your sense of pragmatism and try your hardest not to get thrown into a crisis.

 

[Athenian200]

All I see is too many opinions projected on each other. And it all gets muddled and impossible. I'd prefer to just go with what seems to work.

Yeah... I think that's pretty much what I end up doing in the end. I try to see truth in more significant contexts, but it always turns out not to be there even when I think I see it.

I think there might be truth, but it doesn't apply to or affect most of the things people try to use it to justify. It mostly only works for very simple things. Like the structure of mechanical devices or math, and descriptions of objects.

Truth is only adequate for expressing the structure of semi-tangible things.