The Conundrum of the Two Tribes

On the island, two people were telling me different things. One singled out a specific other and told me that he was not to be trusted, that he was unreliable and I should not listen to anything he said. Later, the second person revealed astonishing and shocking information about the first. Thinking legalistically, I knew that both persons could not be telling the truth and so I had my ears open to find out which person was telling the truth and which person was was lying about things. Both persons had power over me and so it was important to discern who was speaking the truth and could be relied upon from the one who was trying to deceive me.

There is an old riddle about a man who arrives on a remote island. On the island there are two competing tribes. The first tribe’s members are notable because they always lie. The second tribe’s members are famous because of their fastidious dedication to speaking only the truth. The task of the newcomer is to figure out what one question you could ask an islander in order to discern from his response which tribe he belongs to.

These sort of puzzles are interesting. However, they paint the world in a neat and simple universe of black and white cut and dried dichotomies.

Eventually the truth was revealed. Both people were lying to me. Both wanted to recruit me to their story perspective and hence increase their power against their rivals. But there was no truth in anything either person said. Both were deceivers.

I learned an important and striking lesson. The world is not really like the riddle. It is foolish and unrealistic to think that it is. Belief in such a dichotomy is self-deception. It is a deception which one’s enemies will enthusiastically manipulate to their own advantage.

Beware the forced choice between good and evil. Often it is a false choice and neither side is good. The two sides tactically dance in consort to gain control over you.