What makes a dissident? Part 1: Truth seeking
The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight. (Proverbs 4:7)
A frequent topic of discussion among those who have found ourselves thrown into opposition to the rest of society due to our dissident opinions on covid, is why? Why are some of us relatively invulnerable to propaganda and groupthink? What makes some of us willing to speak out and go against the prevailing narrative, even at great personal cost?
This thought process was stirred up again for me by watching Julie Ponesse’s interview with two Ryerson students suing the school for vaccine discrimination (discussion starts at 33:45).
Although I use the word “dissidents” to describe these people, this is strange to me. That word seems to imply the rebellious, those who take pleasure in being contrary and oppositional. Most of us probably wouldn’t characterize ourselves that way. I’m astonished that simply being myself—exercising critical thinking, seeking out facts, and choosing not to take a medical treatment that doesn’t really make sense—has made me into a societal outcast and rebel. I feel as if the entire world has gone insane, and I’m simply one of the few who didn’t.
But until I find a better word, dissident will do.
While I can’t say what goes into making a dissident, it’s easier to identify some characteristics of dissidents. I’m sure personality and life experiences all go into shaping critical thinkers. We may not be able to fully answer the “why”, but those who go against the flow seem to have certain characteristics in common. Discussing all the ones that come to mind would make this post too long, so I’ll divide it into parts.
Curiosity
During a conversation with my ex-sister-in-law, a physician’s assistant, she spoke with scorn of covid patients’ families who took her hospital to court in an attempt to give their loved ones treatments “that aren’t even approved by the FDA”. I was astonished at her utter lack of curiosity about these treatments, not even questioning why the families might go to such extremes. For her, if the CDC and the FDA said it, that was enough.
It’s not the first or last time I’ve been struck by the total lack of curiosity demonstrated by most people about the covid narrative. In a recent conversation with another friend, she was astonished to hear that the majority of covid cases are in the “vaccinated”. She got the shot while pregnant because her midwives required it (she ended up having to go to the hospital for a caesarian anyway).
Truth-seeking
Following on from a curiosity about the truth is a desire to find it. Those who end up “seeing the light” through the fog of propaganda and lies are precisely those who seek it out.
From the earliest age I can remember, I’ve had a desire to know what is true and right. Maybe most children have this quality, I don’t know. I distinctly remember when I was seven reading about a scientific study that demonstrated that people slept better while wearing socks. To this day, I wear socks when sleeping.
That’s a trivial example, but I believe a desire to know and seek truth is the primary quality necessary to be a successful dissident.
I’m not one of those who claims I knew from the beginning that the covid response was a fraud. But very early on, things didn’t add up. I regularly checked the government’s own covid data and did simple math to realize that the fatality rate was a fraction of one percent, and that those who were dying were predominantly elderly. But how many people took that easy step, rather than relying on fear porn broadcast by media outlets?
It’s strange to me to realize that not everyone is a truth-seeker. Truth is the most important thing there is. Why? Because it’s true. It is true and it will be true whether you know it or not, and it will affect you whether you realize it or not. This is why it’s crucial to know it and live by it as much as possible.
Even among the “dissident community” (whatever that is), I’ve heard people using phrases like “your truth”. There is no such thing, unless you’re talking about your personal innermost thoughts and feelings. If you’re talking about any reality outside your subjective internal one, there is only truth. It applies to everyone. Otherwise, why would “my truth” matter? Why would anyone need or want to hear it?
This is just as true in the spiritual realm as the physical. The spiritual is not “less real”; it has principles and laws and truths just as the physical world does. Jesus claimed to be “The Truth” (John 14:6), and in him all truth lives. I believe there’s a reason Christians are so disproportionately represented among covid dissidents: they have been seekers of truth for a long time.
Being a seeker of truth of course does not mean that one has or knows all the truth about everything or any one thing. It does mean being committed to knowing it as much as possible.
A seeker of truth is not driven by an egotistical desire to be “right”. Of course it is gratifying to have correctly perceived something most people were fooled by, but a truth seeker recognizes that truth doesn't belong to them, it is outside them, accessible to anyone who seeks it.
Being a truth seeker means a desire to know truth, at whatever cost. Discovering truth that disrupts or undoes cherished perceptions, or that demands action, change, discipline, or cost from us is difficult.
The sad reason that many people are not interested in truth is that they do not want to be challenged. It is easier to live with lies or ignorance. Truth can be uncomfortable, painful, and difficult. Think of the mother who refuses to believe the child who comes to her with accusations of sexual abuse by her partner. Accepting the truth would mean a painful breakup of the family and jail for her loved one. It’s far easier to turn a blind eye and make the child pay the price.
Truth seekers want the truth and are prepared to pay the price. They know that living comfortably with a lie is never worth it in the end. Truth always wins out, to our eventual cost if we ignore it.
What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear what you think of this topic, and any characteristics you’ve noticed of “dissidents” (as well as any suggestions for a better word!).
Beautiful reflections! Thank you so much for sharing.
Deeply appreciated in light of the many family members who have swallowed the mainstream narrative hook, line and sinker.
So true! I wrote about the same, only not nearly so well or deeply thought out. Keep up the good work. xoxo
https://sadiejay.substack.com/p/my-truth-your-truth