The Fire of Truth
A family friend made a claim during a car ride about immigration that didn’t sound right to me. Instead of arguing, I decided to do what the Heart-Strong Adventure has been teaching me: check the facts before reacting.
What started as a quick search turned into the most data-driven piece I’ve written. I pulled census data, Pew Research numbers, congressional apportionment records, and ICE enforcement patterns. I built four data tables. I followed the evidence wherever it led, even when it complicated my own assumptions.
Some of what I found confirmed what I expected. Some of it didn’t. Immigration patterns are more complex than either side of the political debate usually admits. The numbers don’t fit neatly into anyone’s narrative.
I didn’t confront the family friend. That wasn’t the point. The point was to model what truth-seeking looks like as a love practice, not a weapon. To demonstrate that you can care about someone and still refuse to accept claims that aren’t supported by evidence.
This was prompted by John Biewen, the host of Scene on Radio, who asks a question at the end of every campfire: what truth are you sitting with right now? That question has been following me. It forced me to take a casual car-ride moment and treat it with the seriousness it deserved.
Truth-seeking isn’t comfortable. It doesn’t always confirm what you hoped. But I’m learning that the willingness to follow evidence honestly, even when it complicates your position, is one of the purest expressions of love for the world around you.
Read the full piece on Substack
Learn more about the adventure at www.heart-strong.org
