In the past two weeks, I have watched so many people fall into the snares of hate and denounced the intentions of Black Lives Matter and national protests. Friends, scholars, students, and intellectuals alike, as if from nowhere, have turned their backs and denied the value of human life and connection. People who have always spoken up, from all sides, are now eerily silent.

Arguments erupt in the supposed search for truth, but end up somewhere in the distance. Scrolling through comments and twitter threads, I’ve seen every kind of rationalization, ranging from the half-baked “If it wasn’t for the property damage…” to delusions of a Marxist coup d’etat. Pleas of support and change are met less with clear thought than with egregious and tangential bullying. There are guilty on both sides.

But how do we pull back the curtain on a falsely rationalized “truth?” Do you trudge along and hope they come to their senses in the wake of change? Or do you stand up and educate them on their own misjudgments? I’m for the latter.

The growing divide is less an argument for truth than an intervention on its denial. A view only possible through privilege. Those who come out on the other side, understand themselves in a new way and contribute to change. Meanwhile, the rest pull further into delusion.

The reality is that deep down, everyone, even those in denial, knows what the right thing is. Delusion is a shield. The war to be waged is not with truth, but a confrontation with our own denial. As Marcus Aurelius wrote nearly two thousand years ago: “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” We know what is right, there is no argument to be had, only a willingness to listen and confront our own faults.

The path forward is one of action and intervention. Choose to confront the denial around you and inside you at every turn. The truth is there, as long as you are open to it.

Resources to help you with your own intervention can be found here or here

You can also donate to bail funds here and support the Black Lives Matter Movement directly here.