I’ve heard it said that we live under a rising tide of moral relativity. Skipping over the argument that relative morality is not moral, I do not agree with that statement. Nothing in the universe is more divisive than truth. That seems to be one of the most unknown, although easily viewed, secrets of the universe.

What I feel that we are seeing is not moral relativity as much as a rising tide of nihilism. If there are functional alcoholics, then why not functional nihilists? If you have the time for a little stand up philosophy, allow me to here explain how I come to that conclusion. We have the message board on Secrets of the Universe if you would like to discuss your take on this matter.

Either you are reading this or you are not. If you are not reading this, then how do you know what it says? Otherwise, you are reading this and any viewpoint that contradicts the fact that you are fighting your way through my thick prose is wrong. My point is that truth is exclusive. Anything that contradicts truth, and there will be more things on this side than there will be that are true, is false.

Moral relativity would have us not take sides on which side is true; however, you would not argue that there is no true statement. In relation to one set of conditions, situational ethics, there is a singular moral state that is true. Every set of objects in the universe can relate only in non-contradicting ways at any point in time. Things can change.

However, what we actually see is people who try to hold that contradictory states are equally true. In the sense that there can be a large collection of facts which are all wrong, this can be true. This is not realistic when one of the statements is true. As I wrote, truth is the most divisive thing in the universe. When one thing is true, everything that opposes it is automatically wrong.

In my view, and I am as fallible as anybody else under Heaven, what I am witnessing is a reluctance to fight. We do not feel that truth is worth the cost in terms of conflict. What we see around us is not relativity but a denial that anything matters enough to be worth making waves for. This has always been the way of most people. The wider path is worn smooth by the walking of many boots.

This would qualify as a form of nihilism. It is a state in which we would sooner be dead wrong than take a stand for truth. I did not use the term dead figuratively. You will live longer under the thumb of a tyrant if you do not upset him. The conflict could leave you dead as easily as it could leave you free.

We have been told that this is the most miserable of states to exist in. It is not life. This is also the place that you end up in if your world ceases to extend beyond the end of your own nose. If you care about the next guy, love your neighbor, then you will find this state of nihilism intolerable. Nihilism is one of the hardest viewpoints to counter. I’m already out of time for this tirade.

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