Some people know that what they know is the truth. They have no doubts, and they don’t think much of people who don’t know the truth. It’s a simple black and white matter, both in terms of what the truth is, and whether others are right or wrong. If someone knows the truth, they’re right. If not, they’re wrong.

There’s a second camp of people, who believe they know what the truth is but allow for the perceptions of others to see a different version of the truth. These people believe just as strongly in the truth as those in the first camp; it’s just that they try to see shades of gray that make it possible to believe in a different version. Even beyond that, people in this camp make a conscious effort to see from the point of view of those they don’t agree with, trying to figure out why their truth is different.

It’s easy for people in the first camp to come to a consensus, because they all agree with each other anyway. They use the same language and the same grammar and filter every new concept through the truth they already know, in order to decide whether to accept or reject it. For people in the second camp, it’s a little more lonely up in the tower, although it might be a lot more congenial down on the ground, where people actually live.

Obviously, a person can’t live in both camps at the same time. Or maybe it’s not obvious. Maybe even saying the word puts me in camp one, where I don’t think I’m very comfortable. On the other hand, saying “on the other hand” obviously (?) puts me on camp two, where I think I’d like to be, even if it’s the land where nothing much ever gets accomplished. At least we know we’re not doing the wrong thing. Those other people, the ones who always think they’re doing the right thing? Well, we think they’re wrong at least half the time (actually more, if you want the truth), which makes us feel better already.