The Purity Delusion

Quote of the day:
“You’ve got the whole world waiting for your birth.”
--Indigo Girls

The purity delusion is interesting at any time of year. In this season it takes on an especially fervent patina.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking “what the hell is he talking about?”

I’m sure you’ve seen or experienced the purity delusion, but you may not have recognized it.

The purity delusion is the conviction that we will somehow be tainted if we come into contact with something impure. This is part of what drives people into the supposedly safe, squeaky-clean suburbs from the supposedly dirty, crime-ridden city.

This delusion happens in politics, as those with strong opinions about an issue avoid contact with those with equally strong opposite opinions.

It happens with “big” business and “big” government. To some, it is the mere fact that an organization is big that makes it grossly “impure” and to be avoided.

I often hear people complain about how the world is being ruined by “big” business as they leave on their bicycles to hunt for their dinner, pick their wild coffee beans or gather cotton or shear sheep for their clothes.

The purity delusion is especially obvious in matters of religion. That’s why we see pointed expressions of it at this time of year.

There are those who think contact with anything religious will somehow taint them. And there are those who think contact with anything non-religious will taint them.

Both groups operate under the purity delusion, which states “I can remain pure, untouched and unaffected by alien influences if I constantly reject all contact with them.”

Why is this a delusion? Simply because such contact can’t be avoided. It happens in the realm of thought, so physical contact with people or things is not necessary.

If you think such contact can be avoided, I suggest you try the age-old experiment of trying to not think of a pink elephant.

Ho-ho-ho.