Finding Light in the Darkness

How We Can Combat Lies and Restore Hope in Troubling Times

It’s been a dark couple of weeks. The debate, the Supreme Court, elections in France, and so many other events make us feel like we can’t catch a break. I’ve been wondering why I feel this way, and I’m sure many who read this share the same feeling. This won’t necessarily be a short article on why we need to keep pressing on, but we do. Instead, I want to explore WHY it feels this way.

When someone lies occasionally, it’s easy to spot. It’s easy to provide counterarguments and broadcast the truth to everyone. In the past, liars in politics were roundly rejected when caught and were forced to apologize in some way. One of the things we relied on in the past was a sense of shame. Shame in and of itself is not a good thing when people feel shame that is undeserved or refuse to forgive themselves for past sins. But in society, shame plays an important role. It forces us to behave in a certain way. We don’t want to get caught in a lie because that would bring shame on us. Until 2016, our Presidents had the same sense of shame and an internal compass that, despite their egos, wanted to leave the country better off than when they started. Legacy mattered.

Donald Trump changed all of that. His lies are not a bug; they are a feature. Fact-checking is important, but ultimately, an interviewer could never get more than one or two questions out if forced repeatedly to address the truth. We have become numb, and we have seen the torrent of misinformation and lies as just something we need to adapt to and live with.

When I was a young man growing up in the evangelical and Republican spheres, we prided ourselves on pushing back against “relative truth,” the idea that your truth can be different than mine. We stood upright and loudly proclaimed that there is absolute truth and that lies cannot coexist with it. But that same party has become the direct opposite, using truth as weakness and lies as a tactic to power. They attack true masculinity, which is defending the defenseless and standing up for big things, as weakness, and instead use abuse and loudness as that definition. The truths we used to rely on are now more relative than real. Today, we find ourselves becoming overwhelmed with the feeling that we cannot stop the flood. And honestly, we can’t. Until shame re-enters the behavior and soul of these people, they will continue taking shortcuts to power.

I have come to believe that the reason this feels so overwhelming is that there is no equally loud voice proclaiming the need for truth and the counterarguments to the lies. At the debate, that was Biden’s job, not the moderators, and he failed massively. This is not another debate analysis, but a call to arms for the Biden campaign: It’s time to constantly, consistently, and loudly prosecute the case against Trump and the case against the lies. America is awash in the sewers of confusion, unsure what to believe or who to trust. We have lost faith in everything from the church to the courts, and the leaders we look to calm the storms and fears are instead stoking them. We need a loud leader to bring calm and show a path forward.

I believe Biden can do that, but he must. I will leave the decision to replace him or not to the Democratic Party and Joe Biden himself, but one thing is clear: America needs hope and a true north star.

In the meantime, it falls on all of us to provide that in our own spheres. I’m blessed to have a megaphone, but everyone reading this can influence their families, neighborhoods, and friend groups. Let’s be that north star, that calming yet firm voice that points those in our spheres to a better and calmer future. Until we slam back the torrent of darkness, it will continue to creep in. But remember, it just takes a small light to illuminate a big room. Many lights bring a bright day.