Question From Vicki

How can you use confrontation therapy effectively in your therapy session to get the client to make his or her own decision?
Vicki,
Confrontation alone will more than likely backfire on a therapist. However, one thing I like to do is to incorporate the confrontation into a question style format. If there is a need to confront, it usually means that someone doesn’t understand or doesn’t want to understand the consequences of their behavior. So, I believe formulating questions or statements that somewhat lead the client to see (understand their situation) better. I do this a lot with people who make ridiculous statements about Christianity that are illogical. The Bible is not only for edification, but also reproof (2 Tim. 3:16). When confronting relativism, which is a self-defeating position (a statement that fails its own standard), I might say something like this, “To say there are no absolute truths is itself an absolute truth statement.” Therefore, to say, “There is no truth,” is a statement of truth. I know this is not necessarily a question, but it is confrontational and should illicit deeper thought from the person who hears it.

Thanks for your question

Question From Rhonda

Which do you think the client benefits more from...shaping the process or controlling the process?

Rhonda,

I believe that the counselor needs to be genuine and build a relationship with the client versus being somewhat removed and uninvolved. The counselor needs to be inside the process, and not an outsider applying some form of premeditated conditioning (shaping/controlling). I believe the most effective reinforcements are real concern, real interest, and real understanding. Being a counselor, in my opinion, is more than handing out rewards (like a vending machine), smiling, and affirming. I would sum it up this way; real growth comes from real understanding on the part of both parties.

Thanks for your question

Crossing Borders: The Realities of Adoption

I used love the old gangster movies such as “The Godfather,” “Public Enemy,” and “Key Largo.” Even today I am still intrigued by the newer releases as well. The hook for me was the cultural aspect of Italian life that was portrayed in these films. Much like the poem “Mafioso” (Gilbert 1283 I-J) the characterization of the people, as an ethnic group, was and still is that of ideas based on few people and applied to the entire ethnic group without regard for the truth. Bringing this argument in terms that are more relevant to the immigrants coming to America in our generation I will adjust the focus from the Italians of yesterday to the Hispanic immigration of today. Just as the Italians were often portrayed as people they were not, today those stereotypical mindsets are just as strong and just as wrong when applied to an entire people group. Examining the areas of border control, assimilation, jobs, and economic impact will verify the fact that majority Hispanic immigrants are more than people, who sneak across borders, take all the lawn care and construction grunt-work jobs, and nurse from the federal government social programs without contributing anything in return.

Before embarking on the journey there needs to be some basic understanding of a key term. A “stereotype” is a generalization about a person or group of people. Generalizations are developed when we are unable or unwilling to obtain all of the information we would need to make fair judgments about people of situations. Fear of people or ethnic groups is also a major source of stereotypes. Are all Hispanic people illegal immigrants? Are we afraid “those people” are taking over America?

One of the most common stereotypes heard today about Hispanic immigrants is that they are cheap labor and as a result keep wages low for the rest of the workforce. As with most stereotypical comments made about illegal immigrants this one makes a good backdrop against which to measure reality. The New York Times reported the following in regard to illegal immigrants: “In many cases, the jobs held by illegal immigrants are far from the minimum- orsubminimumwage stereotype, as well. Though the work itself is often unpleasant, the pay ratesare commonly in the range of $10 to $20 an hour.” (Altman 2) The impact of Altman’s statement is the way he compares the type of work with the pay range. Based on his assessment we can draw the conclusion that without the immigrant workers the jobs might not be filled. The wage effect in the field of agriculture, being the most common area of employment for immigrants, might be the best example as the effects are summed up in this statement, “My belief is the impact of immigration on Georgia farm workers and farm wage rates is virtually zero. The reason is the shortage of local workers for farm-related jobs at any affordable wage rate.”

(Black 15) Who would perform these tasks if the flow of immigrants legal or illegal were stopped? Although I do not consider any work below me, nevertheless I do not envision myself doing some of the jobs immigrants are risking their lives to come to America for such as “painting, washing cars, packaging by hand, and installation of carpets and floors.” (Altman 1)

With first hand experience as my teacher I can testify to the work ethic and motives of a large portion of those immigrating to the United States. As a young man I witnessed men who came to this country, some legal and some not so legal, that worked for my father’s company as concrete laborers. One event that really stood out to me was the day we approached a small one-bedroom house. I remember my dad saying we were picking up eight to ten men and taking them to work at the plant. As we approached, some of the men came out. Then one man motioned for my dad to come to the door, and being in unfamiliar territory, I went with him. As the man informed us that one of the other men was not feeling well, I looked inside, and what I saw is still etched in my mind today. I saw clothing hanging on nails in the walls that were spaced out in sections as if to say, “This is my individual space,” “this is my home, where I live.” My father later told me that these men risked lives, left families, and came into what might be perceived as hostile territory to make a better life for themselves and their families. Every Friday afternoon these men took their checks to the Western Union office and sent just about every penny back home to their families. Not only were these men reliable workers, but also they proved to me that the stereotype of these immigrants devaluing the workforce is not reality.

Like those men, the vast majority of immigrants come to America in order to build a better life. Contrary to the belief that immigrants are just here to take jobs and send money home, these men were working to bring their families to America as well. But what then? What happens when the entire family arrives? Do they assimilate into the American culture. Common stereotypes would have us believe that immigrants want to hold to cultures of their countries of origin. If you saw the march on April 10, 2006, in Dallas, Texas, you might think those stereotypes hold true. As the people marched in the streets, they were often interviewed, and had absolutely no idea what the march was actually about. The story of those who did understand could be seen in the flags that were carried and the quotation on one group’s banner as reported by the The Dallas Morning News, “Some carried large U.S. flags; another group had a 5-foot banner reading ‘Legalización. It's our American dream too’.” (Ayres 1) The size of a flag in a march or parade is seldom emphasized in a report. To describe the flag as being large puts an emphasis on the patriotic aspect of the mindsets of those marching. They dream of freedom. We, as native citizens, too often take the dream for granted. Many times we want to horde the dream for ourselves like children in a game of keep-a-way. We want the best for our families, but based on the stereotypes we harbor, we have a tendency to rail against those trying to achieve the same freedom and opportunity. These immigrants also believe “that learning to speak English is key to leading a successful life in the U.S.” (Remaley 2) We Should pay special attention to the people we come in contact with on a daily basis and think about the broken English a lot of these people speak. Imagine that we immigrated to a new country. How quickly would we pick up the language? Could we do it without a formal education? I have tried to learn my family’s native language and I can confirm that I am glad I do not have to live full time, let alone work, in the country my family came from. It is amazing that people come to this country without the ability to communicate effectively to find jobs and a new life. The sheer magnitude alone seems overwhelming. The numbers that confirm speaking English as essential are also impressive as “73% say that it’s extremely important (to speak English well) for immigrants ‘to work and stay off welfare.” (Remaley 1) Then they go on to state “(88 percent) immigrants say the U.S. is better than their own country when it comes to having more opportunity to earn a good living.” (Remaley 1) Earning a good living is a goal most of us share. If you cannot earn a living where you are, what do you do? Do you migrate? Do you move to a new city or a new state or maybe you have to leave your homeland and go to a place so different you might as well have landed on Mars? Moving to a new place doesn’t automatically mean you will assimilate to the culture, but for the majority who do it can sometimes be ironic. How about immigrating from Mexico, and after getting a good education, you go to work in a new job keeping people just like you from entering the country in which you now live? That happens more often than most might imagine “many of those who keep watch over our borders each day are, in fact, Mexican-American.” (Miniter 1) Over fifty percent of the agents working for the U.S. Border Control are Hispanic. The numbers are interesting “at least 6,700 of the country's 12,800 Border Patrol agents identify themselves as Hispanic.” (Miniter 1) Immigrants guarding the U.S. border are a very real picture of assimilation. Even with these statistics a large number of Americans continue to believe that “Latino immigrants keep to themselves and don't try to fit in." (Miniter 1) Fitting into a society means many things to many people. One of the most contentious centers around their usage of social services and not contributing back into the system. Ignorance of federal laws feeds that stereotype. The law states “Immigrants who enter legally through regular quotas are not permitted to receive public assistance for three years, and they may be deported if they obtain such assistance.” (Simon 1) Therefore the U.S. has a system in place to protect social programs such as welfare. As an example, currently only “About 13 percent (or 546,000) of the Nation’s 4.2 million foreign-born mothers aged 15 to 44 were on food stamps, compared to 15 percent of (or 4.8 million) U.S.-born mothers.” (Bernstein 2) The questions should build up quickly when we read these statistics. The stereotype of immigrants, illegal or not, using an exaggerated percentage of welfare does not pass this test.

Passing tests seems to be a soft spot in the stereotyping argument. The overall educational pattern for immigrants seems to improve with each generation born in the U.S. The fact that education assimilation seems to get better across generations is a positive step to the success of immigrants in the long run. Statistics show “High school dropout rates for immigrants improve across generations, dropping from 27 percent in the first generation to 8.6 percent in the third generation.” (Orrenius 2) When compared to the national dropout average “7.9 percent for white students, compared to 13.6 percent for black students,” (Hollinger 2) the immigrant rate appears to be virtually right in line with native ethnic averages. It would be hard to justify a claim of immigrants being poorly educated based on these numbers. Education is the key to future success. Studies have shown that income over a lifetime is higher in proportion to the level of education a person attains. The deduction can be made that over time, and with each generation, the standard of living for immigrants and the families that result over the years will increase. With that increase, and the evidence for assimilation of those families, immigrants should prove to be an asset to the U.S. The education process, I believe, is the key for immigrants.

In light of the rapidly, ever-changing, economy and education world that we live in we have seen an astounding growth rate for service and technology oriented jobs. With the job market evolving we are seeing more and more medium to low-skilled jobs going to the countries of origin of many of the immigrants that are trying to reach the U.S. Companies call this outsourcing. I call it a headache if I need assistance with one of my six expensive Dell computer systems. Unlike their counterparts that have come to the U.S., those that answer the phones for companies such as Dell only have to be familiar enough with the language, people, products, and attitudes to make someone angry enough to just hang up and figure it on their own. That almost sounds like a stereotype, but it is not. Having dealt with several companies who “outsource” I have had virtually the same experience on each occasion. Immigrants don’t have the choice, in most cases, to communicate only on topics in which they are supposed to be trained. The immigrants that come to the U.S. must deal with employers, legal or not, they have to find housing; they have to buy food, and negotiate all kinds of daily transactions that would petrify most people. (Please remember that speaking louder does not translate English to any other language. My sixteen year old daughter has a close friend whose parents are immigrants from the Philippines. They are very well educated, wonderful people to know. It always amazes me when people engage in shouting with hopes of clarifying their words. The humorous thing is that they understand completely every word spoken to them.) But being able to communicate successfully, not just to buy food and clothes, will be the next frontier for immigrants. Service and technology jobs require, at minimum, good communication skills and more in-depth education. Whereas medium to low-skilled jobs mainly require physical ability, and if you can get to work you can get paid. This might be a place to stop and pause for concern “The Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy figures that from now (1988) until 1995, the state economy will be increasingly technological, but that Hispanics, Asians, and blacks will not be holding the higher-skilled jobs in proportion to their population.” (McConnell 4) This older study announced doom and gloom for immigrants and minorities. Since that time Asians and Hispanics have become a very significant portion of all immigrants. The interesting outcome was something no one thought about, “Many immigrants have become entrepreneurs, creating jobs for other Immigrants and natives. Immigrant entrepreneurs may be particularly likely to develop export opportunities for American products given their connections abroad and language skills.” (Krueger 1) Once again the biased mindset was thwarted. The stereotype of immigrants not being able to move into high-skilled jobs was worked over by the innovative entrepreneurial skills of those same immigrants.

As I look at the picture entitled “Baggage Examined Here” I am painfully reminded of how far society has come, but also how far society has not come. The immigrant boys in the picture, under the sign that reads “Baggage Examined Here,” look like cheap labor. There are no parents in the scene, and maybe they are on their own. How will they assimilate in their new homeland? The picture gives no clue where they are from. Can they understand the language, and do they even know what is going on around them. When they are finished being processed where will they go? Will they go to school or go to work? What thoughts must have been going through their heads? Immigrants come to this country everyday from all over the world to have a small part of our dream. That dream is ours only if we take hold of it and share it with others. It is often forgotten that every one of us, with the exception of Native American Indians, are descendants of people who left behind their respective homelands and were adopted by this great country, America.

Works Cited

ALTMAN, DANIEL . "Shattering Stereotypes About Immigrant Workers ". New York Times. 03/20/2008 .

Ayers, Karen. "'No Turning Back'". Dallas Morning News. March 18, 2008 .

Bernstein, Robert . "Mothers Who Receive Food Stamps". U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division . March 20, 2008 .

Black, Gary. "Statement of Gary Black, President, Georgia Agribusiness Council". Immigration: Economic Impact on American Workers and Their Wages Field Hearing. Washington: U.S, Government, 2006.

Gilbert, Sandra M. “Mafioso.” The Bedford Introduction To Literature 8th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin's, 2008. 1283 I-J.

Hollinger, Debra. "High School Dropout Rates". U.S. Deptartment of Education Consumer Guide. Washington, DC: Office of Educational Research, 1996.

Krueger, Alan. "Immigrants, Jobs & The Labor Force". Princeton University Economics Dept.. March 25, 2008 .

McConnell, Scott. "The New Battle Over Immigration". FORTUNE Magazine. March 25, 2008 .

Meyers, Michael. “Baggage Examined Here.” The Bedford Introduction To Literature 8th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin's, 2008. 1283 I.

Miniter, Paulette Chu . "A border agent (and immigrant) defies stereotypes". USA Today. 03/20/2008 .

Orrenius, Pia. "Immigrant Assimilation: Is the U.S. still a melting pot?". Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. March 19, 2008 .

Remaley, Michael. "Immigrants Dispel Negative Stereotypes." Public Agenda. 14/01/2003. Carnegie Corporation. 28 Mar 2008 .

Simon, Julian. "Immigration: The Demographic and Economic Facts." Cato Institute . 11/12/1995. Cato Institute and the National Immigration Forum. 19 Mar 2008 .

U. S. Government, "Estimates of the Unauthorized Immigrant Population Residing in the United States". Immigration and Naturalization Service. March 20, 2008 .

Humanistic Psychology

Humanism, putting “I” or “me” at the center of the universe, has been an insidious problem for humanity from the very beginning of man’s existence. We could begin with Adam and Eve, who, when the serpent spoke to Eve, revealed more about the human condition than we could ever hope to learn from all that the history of psychology might want to teach us. In the garden the following scene plays out,

¹Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"

²The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;

³but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'"

⁴ The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!

⁵"For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

⁶When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. (Emphasis mine)

⁷Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

Genesis 3:1-7 (NASB)

As these events play out we get the first glimpse of person-centered behavior ever recorded, and what eventually proves to be the fall of mankind. The thought processes exhibited by Eve (and Adam) continue to be evidenced throughout history.

In the ancient Greek world early humanistic beliefs were propagated by Anaxagoras who proposed the idea of “Free Thinking.” This idea allowed Epicurus to develop his human-centered approaches to achieving a state of “eudaimon,” or what we would know as happiness achieved through self-actualization. However, on the horizon, we see the mechanistic view marching forward.

Beginning with the 14^th and 15^th centuries the mechanistic view of humanity was taking shape. Also, the idea of self-determinism was on the rise. Thomas Hobbes recognized how society was wandering down the path of humanistic thought. One feature of Hobbes’s theory of why people behaved the way they did was that he considered human nature as being absolutely egoistic. He describes people as being, by nature, selfish and not in fact considering others. “In his psychological analysis he finds naught but self-regarding feelings impelling man’s activity.” (Hobbes, 1898) Although Hobbes himself was a proponent of a Christian worldview, his reference in this writing is to reveal the prevailing zeitgeist of his day. His words show the pervasiveness of humanistic thought processes during the late 16^th and early 17^th centuries. The progression of humanistic thought continues to grow, and it finds a foothold in the center of Germany the home of the beginnings of modern psychology.

One of the more ardent proponents of humanistic psychology was Charlotte Buhler. She conveys that her clients often say they don't know what they want, and they do not know what they believe in. Buhler subsequently states, “…this is a call for humanistic psychology, a psychology that guides people in defining what they think is healthy and meaningful living. It is through this clarification of goals that people become fulfilled.” (Buhler, 1972) (Emphasis mine) Again we see the same type of thinking that caused Adam and Eve so much pain, and what Thomas Hobbes saw as he observed the behavior of his day. Humanistic thinking focuses on “I” and “me.” It focuses on the self-_________ (fill in the blank). The people mentioned thus far reveal to us the anthropocentric nature of humanism. All was not humanistic thought from the 15^th through 19^th centuries. Blaise Pascal, Francis Bacon, Sir Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, James C. Maxwell, and J. Robert Oppenheimer represented the best that science had to offer. All based there science in the fact that there is a creator who is also a lawgiver, and none of them believed that man, starting from himself could understand anything. None of them had a humanistic outlook.

Non-Christian philosophers from the time of Plato to Sartre had some common ground. They were rationalists. They assumed man, starting with himself, can gather enough information to form logical conclusions (understanding) of who they were and why they behaved as they did. They believed all knowledge comes from inside them leaving out the possibility of God. They also took reasoned though very seriously. Their logical conclusion was they could achieve true knowledge through reason alone. These older views, albeit faulty, show an optimistic outlook on life and knowledge. But a shift occurred that moved men from an optimistic view to a view that all is lost. The humanistic expectation that autonomous man would be able to bring together a unified view of human nature stalled. The pessimistic view of man was ushered in by men like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Georg Hegel, and Soren Kierkegaard. The main idea for these men could be summed in this way, autonomous freedom, meaning freedom from any kind of restraint, and truth being sought in the synthesis of ideas instead of absolutes or antithesis. Some going as far to say meaning is found through a “leap of faith.” Without absolutes the door was left wide open for humanistic thought to inflict more damage. The age of psychology was beginning and the men of the 20^th century will take humanistic ideas to the edge of reasoned thought. Thus, Humanistic Psychology will be born. Abraham Maslow, born in 1908, believed that although psychoanalysis as posited by Freud was somewhat useful, but Maslow said it was on useful on the sick. He placed his emphasis on studying the non-sick. Maslow studied those who had achieved higher levels of satisfaction with life. He wanted to understand what motivated the thought processes of successful and well adjusted people. Thus marks the beginning of Humanistic Psychology which teaches that every person has a strong desire to realize his or her full potential, to reach a level of Self-actualization. Maslow used a visual aid to represent his idea of a Hierarchy of Needs which shows how people progress from the most basic needs to the pinnacle of self-actualization. The system emanates as follows,

“By satisfying basic needs such as food, water, sex, exercise, and recreation, and feeling safe, we can progress to higher order, psychological needs such as love, needs for belonging, and self-esteem. When these are met, it provides the confidence and focus to reach the pinnacle of psychological integration, or self-actualization.” (Jacobs, 2002)

Basically Maslow states that once we satisfy our basic needs we, in humanistic fashion, continue to put ourselves first. With that understanding, human behavior is seen as based on a perception of reality that causes the individual to act accordingly and satisfy their needs in light of those perceptions. Maslow took this idea a step further by stating that the way the needs are filled are just as important as the needs themselves. He said that filling the needs and the way they are filled combine to make up the human experience. Maslow’s idea of meaning level of self-actualization is achieved when a person establishes meaningful connections to an external reality. Establishing an external connection is the goal of Carl Roger’s client-centered therapy.

The client-centered or person-centered psychology is probably the biggest perpetuator of humanistic psychology, and the dangerous ideas that flow from it that have come about in our lifetime. Carl Rogers was influenced by the views of John Dewey, Sigmund Freud, and Soren Kierkegaard. His brand of psychology is humanistic, but it is also existentialistic as well. Where Rogers ideas begin to break down are in the area of human nature. He believes that people are intrinsically good. He also believes they are rational, and trustworthy. From these basic beliefs he constructs his entire premise which states that people have an inherit tendency toward actualization, growth, health, independence, and autonomy. His theory is not without many shortcomings, “The person-centered counseling perspective in its “classic” form possesses nearly insurmountable obstacles for rehabilitation practitioners.” (See, 1986) Rogers offers a statement in his book, A Way of Being, which is true to humanistic thinking, but causes problems for those trying to engage his theory, “individuals have within themselves vast resources for self-understanding and for altering their self-concepts, basic attitudes, and self-directed behavior.” (Rogers, 1980) The theories of Maslow and Rogers seem, on the surface, to be reasonable, but are they really?

The Christian view of humanity contradicts the Rogerian belief in man’s natural goodness. The Bible teaches that,

^“23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 3:23 (NASB)
Man is in not intrinsically good, but his nature was altered all the way back in the very beginning of human existence as stated in the verses of Genesis that began this writing. Except for God’s provision through His Son, Jesus Christ, and His finished work on the cross, man cannot overcome his fallen nature. The ultimate problem for mankind is not our childhood, our past, or the thwarting of our actualizing potential. Our problem is sin, and we cannot save ourselves. Taking the correspondent’s view of truth the Christian faith has the only real answers to our problems. That being the case, and it can be made with very strong evidence, then the humanistic view that we can find answers to our problems within ourselves and without God, is a bankrupt idea. So is there any hope for utilizing any of the ideas contained within humanistic psychology?

Humanistic thought should have very little use within the Christian counseling setting. For counselors to be true to Biblical teaching, they must jettison humanistic practices such as no boundaries, permissive therapy atmosphere, and nondirective therapy. The logical outcome of using these practices is a counseling practice that will have little resemblance to anything Biblical.

Works Cited

Buhler, C. (1972). Introduction to Humanistic Psychology. Bellmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing Co.

Hobbes, T. (1898). The Ethics of Thomas Hobbes as Contained in Selections from His Works. Boston, MA, U.S.A.: Ginn & Company.

Jacobs, D. (2002). Psychology (Brain, Behavior, and Popular Culture) (4th Edition ed.). Dubuque, Iowa, U.S.A.: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.

Rogers, C. (1980). A Way of Being. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

See, J. (1986). Applied Rehabilitation Counseling. (M. W. Riggar, Ed.) New York, NY, U.S.A.: Springer.

How many books do I own???? A LARGE Number!

I really love old books.
C.S. Lewis penned a great essay
about the benefits of reading old books,
and as it turns out he was right on
target.

I collect and read old books.

You should try it as well.

posterior parietal cortex damage

People in large groups (read church or groupthink) often display behavior similar to someone who has posterior parietal cortex damage...just a thought that struck me while studying.

Perceptions are a very tricky topic. If we are talking about the material world (physical realm) I believe that the reality of a situation is based upon the correspondence view of what is true (real). Metaphysically speaking, as I suppose we should be engaged in doing within this forum, perceptions could be described as, “what is there?” and “what is it like?”

This topic could encompass volumes of writing, but within this forum there is a need to be brief.

I have used the following many times to illustrate how perceptions can differ, but reality is static. If I say, “The grass is green,” I have offered my perception of what I believe the grass to look like. That perception is based on light emanating from the sun (or some artificial source), reflecting of off the grass, enters through the cornea, passes through the lens which bends the light, which then passes through the vitreous gel, and then is focused on the surface of the retina which contains the rods and cones. From there it travels via electrical impulses to the brain through the optical nerve. Is my perception accurate? That depends on several factors. Is the pathway the light travels through my eye healthy and “normal?” Does my brain process the electrical impulse correctly? Do I have the cognitive ability to decode the information? Finally, is the grass, in fact, green? If the grass is green, and I am healthy and/or at least functioning correctly, I am accurate in my assessment. At that point, the grass being green makes the content of my perception true. However, is it a true statement to say, “The grass is green,” if I am blind? Not only is it an accurate statement, it would an accurate perception even if I did not believe it to be true. It is reality that makes our perceptions true or false. I posit that it is through evidence that we determine if our perceptions are in tune with reality.

Do you believe truth is absolute?

Do you think it is possible to understand any subject completely?