SEEKING THE TRUTH

by W:.Tim Bryce, PM, MPS, MBBFMN
timb001@phmainstreet.com
Palm Harbor, Florida, USA
"A Foot Soldier for Freemasonry"

"The road to truth is rarely without bumps and bends."
- Bryce's Law


For years I have been asked what kind of business I'm in. Even my family has
a bit of trouble understanding what the methodology business is all about.
Consequently, I tell people I'm in the computer business as it is easier for
most to assimilate. Actually, I'm called upon to come into companies and help
straighten out their systems messes and bring order out of chaos. As such,
I like to think of myself as the Red Adair of the systems and software
development industry. I come into a company, assess the problem, and offer
some commonsense advice on how to cleanup the situation. This requires me to
be brutally honest with my clients in my assessment which isn't always greeted
with enthusiasm and doesn't exactly endear me to a lot of people. Nonetheless,
this is the field I have chosen and why my writings are at times considered
controversial. This business acumen of mine has carried over into the various
nonprofit organizations I've been involved with over the years, including
Freemasonry, and why I am often seen as the guy who says, "The Emperor has no
clothes." I do not apologize for this but find it interesting that people often
have a problem with the truth. As I have said in the past, human-beings are
imperfect creatures fraught with emotional frailties and intellectual
weaknesses. Because of this, we tend to make mistakes we would rather cover-up
than admit. As Mark Twain said, "Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to."

I have also observed that history is written by the victor, not the vanquished.
This means the truth may be distorted by the powers in charge at the time and
requires an objective third person to discern fact from fiction. It also
means we should always seek the truth regardless of the avenue it may take us.
This is something I have learned from more than one institution over the
years. If we cannot find the truth, we may never find the cause of a problem
and a satisfactory solution to solve it. Even worse, if we do not seek the
truth we will inevitably go in the wrong direction with costly consequences.
In Freemasonry, I personally regard the search for truth as seeking "further
light."

Sometimes the people in charge bury the truth so that it may not sway
others. This is why we have propaganda and other institutions to mask
the truth and manipulate people's perceptions. If the truth were known,
people might act differently. It is the job of people such as public defenders
and lawyers to seek the truth. It should also be the responsibility of the news
media to do likewise, but unfortunately the truth is often sacrificed at the
expense of ratings and circulation. As one small example, in 1898 the media
claimed the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana Harbor was caused by the
Spanish; an unsubstantiated claim which ultimately led us into the
Spanish-American War (and sold a lot of newspapers). Further, we are still
uncovering the truth about certain events in World War II more than sixty
years later. And we may never know the truth about Saddam Hussein and the
Middle-East terrorists for many years to come. If it is known, it is safely guarded.

It is hard to be a politician and be in the business of truth. Maybe this is
because the public really doesn't want to know it and prefers to be entertained
or hear only what they want to hear instead, a kind of "feel good" session. It's
no small wonder they feel betrayed though when things are not delivered as promised.
I remember when Bro. Gerald Ford went before the American people in his State of the
Union address years ago and had the fortitude to admit that the state of the
union wasn't really that good. Although honest, this admission contributed to
his defeat in the next presidential election.

We are now in the midst of another presidential race where the candidates
say or promise one thing and their opposition argues otherwise. Instead of
clarifying the truth though, the news media only muddies the water. Consequently,
I believe we elect officials based more on propaganda as opposed to the truth.
>From this perspective, politicians cannot afford to be merchants of truth.
Then again, I do not believe our system is any different than any other free
society.

Likewise, many Grand Jurisdictions are preparing to hold their Grand Communications
soon where legislation will be voted upon and new Grand Lodge officers elected. I
personally see this process as essentially no different than any other political
process. My only concern is when the Craft refuses to question things and simply
goes with the flow like sheep. This is why I do not have any political aspirations;
I simply don't have the stomach for it.

I guess I should be glad that not everyone seeks the truth. If they did, I
wouldn't have any more messes to clean up and I would have to look for another
line of work. I may not always be right, but I am always seeking the truth.
In my line of work, it pays the bills.

Keep the Faith!

Article reprinted with permission of the author.

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Copyright © 2008 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.