This title is well known from 8:32 of The Gospel According to John, and as the official motto of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The coincidence is interesting and perhaps darkly ironic.
The truth will set people free from having to cover up and constantly service their own lies, that's for sure.
In civil litigation, lawyers are cynical. "The Truth" is reduced to whatever portion all the ornate rules and complex tactics will permit each side to tell. I am a mediocre lawyer at best: I certainly do not have the ornate rules and complex tactics at my fingertips the way some attorneys do. I came to this professional practice for the sole purpose of eliminating psychiatric coercion and harm from mental health. My purpose contains enough truth to feel like it does, or should, set me free. Most of the time I hate servicing lies.
I've been a lawyer for 25 years now, so my truth is not entirely impractical. At the moment I represent the Plaintiff in a civil rights case in the middle of discovery, and the Illinois Attorney General's office lawyers who represent the (state-employed) Defendants seem to be mis-estimating my client in a major way. Basically, they think he's a crazy liar when he's not. They will be happy to short-cut the Plaintiff's deposition, by keeping it remote, not investing in the necessary logistics to do it in person.
Ultimately, the Defendants' mis-estimation would be to my advantage. In theory, I should let them make their mistake. That's how a corrupt, secret intelligence operation or a proper Sun Tzu strategy could work (as beautifully depicted for example, in my latest favorite TV series, "Berlin Station").
People think John 8:32 and the CIA motto is about God and spies. In fact, it's only about an individual spirit with a purpose that may be worthwhile or true. The error is seeking the living in a place of the dead. (Luke 24:5-6, just to stay a bit biblical.)
Truth is not there in ornate rules, complex tactics, the tomb. It is risen.
No comments:
Post a Comment