Relativity

We have access to the depth and breadth of knowledge that would make a Galileo or Spinoza weep. Yet we still can't agree about a thing. The world and our country in particular has been infected with a level of relative truth that is shocking.

Let's talk Bin Laden. He's dead. Woo hoo. It is a shared experience for Americans to feel good about his demise. On Monday morning, everyone agreed that was a good thing. The togetherness and unity lasted for a solid 12 hours.

The divergence is highlighted by one argument. We cannot agree if torture led to finding Bin Laden. My favorite podcaster Mr. Carolla ranted about how his lefty friends were against torture but clearly, torture led to the information that led to Bin Laden. Yet it took me all of a minute to find an editorial claiming that torture had little if anything to do with the mission that ultimately concluded in Bin Laden's death.

Who's right? That's not the point. The point is if you believe that torture is necessary to solve crimes, you're going to find your evidence. And if you believe that torture is one reason why it took ten years to find Bin Laden, you'll have plenty of ammunition.

One of my favorite interviews of the past month was the extended cut of David Barton's appearance on the Daily Show. Just watch it. David Barton is the infamous historian whose cause is that we are a Christian nation. Not only are we a Christian nation, the founders believed we were so. Jon Stewart made a valiant effort to show that this is an example of the current cart before the horse culture. In short, conservatives want proof that the founding fathers were Christian and wanted us all to be under one God, so they find a historian to dig up the evidence. If you are a Christian, you're going to love this interview and might even say amen a few times as Barton deflects Stewart's questions like a Jedi Master. If you question the man because you like this whole secular nation concept, you're going to find him less than convincing.

The good news is there's something for everyone. I generally like this point of view. The downside is we are going to have to come together on issues like the deficit, and the dramatic divergence of what everyday events mean is going to make it hard to find common ground.