Truth Must Yield to Delusion
When we were young, we were taught that the function of words is to convey truth, but I have grown increasingly skeptical about that claim.
Jonathan Dwight Jones, perhaps the greatest mixed martial artist to ever grace the sport, famously tattooed ‘Philippians 4:13’ on his chest. The verse states ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’ and Jones interprets this to mean he can defeat all of his opponents through God’s help.
The theological underpinnings of this reading are dubious. The verse concerns suffering. That is to say, Christ promises to be present in the trials of all believers. It is not, however, a guarantee that the Christian will be successful in his endeavours, yet Jones has used this misreading to arguably become the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.
In the future, I will publish an article explaining why we are required to sacrifice ourselves to the Highest Good. Jones’ appears to be winning all his fights, and accomplishing this seems to have involved sacrificing truth at the altar of delusion.
Professor Harold Bloom once remarked ‘it may be that a great unwisdom ultimately is better for us than the emptiness of truth.’ Jon Jones’ career testifies to the veracity of that observation.
I make no theological or philosophical claims in this article, and so I leave the choice to you. In what will you trust: truth or delusion?