Or, “If Nixon Did It Today, He’d Get Away With It.”

Let’s define terms.

In short, “feels before reals” on a large scale.

As with “On ‘Admitting’“, this post popped into my head when I was doing something else, this time my day job. I received the title and little else, and I started wondering, “Do I know a single soul who would argue that their gods care more about emotional arguments than the facts of the case?” I don’t think I’ve encountered such a thing in my ventures into the Pagan internet. I know of plenty of people who care more about feels than reals, to put it colloquially, but no gods. (Or in one specific case, the words were put into the divine being’s mouth and I’m sure He’s a bit salty about it. I would be if I were used to make a political point I might not agree with, especially without prior consultation.)

Further, I have a Christian friend, and she is liberal-minded but still a Christian. And given my (admittedly limited) understanding of her god, I don’t think He is a “feels before reals” type, either. So, I think it is common of divine beings to say “cut the crap, and get to work”.

Which brings me to, I suppose, a question. Or perhaps just a thought, or observation: humans can operate in a post-truth society, but Gods and other such beings cannot or do not. (The Fae, as a very noteworthy example, cannot or will not lie for unknown reasons.) I’m not sure why this is but I think it has to do with perspective. They can see farther out than we can, and on at least some level see through us (though they very rarely feel the need to, at least, not enough to do it constantly as I was once taught). They know enough to know when we’re lying to ourselves, to others, and to them personally. Therefore they know all the tricks, they can pick them apart with ease, and are quite done with it all.

Plus, it could have to do with perspective in another sense: they understand more of the world than we do and have more concerns than mere humans. The Gods don’t seem to trouble Themselves with the “feels before reals” shenanigans engaged in by petty people trying to make short-lived arguments (I’ve noticed this is something engaged in by people on both sides of the aisle, not exclusive to one group or another, but that doesn’t make a feels before reals position any more valid). They have things that need to get done, and would rather you buckled down and did the work.