A couple of days ago, I was pondering the reasons WHY people choose to deny the truth. It really doesn’t matter what that particular truth is, someone will deny it. It might be the truth that smoking is bad for their health, or that spending more than they earn will not make them rich, or that no nation ever taxed its way into prosperity. No matter what, there is always someone to deny the truth.

Why do people deny the truth?

1. People deny the truth because it makes demands of them. Sometimes those demands aren’t comfortable to accept. They may require altering a worldview, or accepting someone unlikable, or plain old hard work.

2. People deny the truth because it isn’t scientific enough. If the experiment isn’t repeatable and there is no real “proof of purchase,” they deny X ever happened. Here’s a thought: nothing in history is repeatable. I cannot prove Alexander the Great really existed from a scientific standpoint. I can gather and present evidence, but that’s all. It is true that I love my wife. This isn’t logically provable via theorems and formulas and logic paradigms, but it is true, nevertheless.

3. People deny the truth because it’s more comfortable (and easier) to believe a lie. Everyone caught up the the Madoff Ponzi scheme would rather have believed that Uncle Bernie knew some secret that could get superior returns. Never mind that it was all a lie, it was much more comfortable to be a part of the “in” crowd investing with him.