Even the conviction that there is such a reality as universal truth is often denied. As a result, many have come to believe that we can create our own truth and our own reality, according to our own purposes. But this approach not only degrades human intelligence, it also undermines our ability to form human community and even to share a common language. When parents can justify aborting their innocent children in the name of love, we are rapidly losing the shared vocabulary of right and wrong which form the basis for common belief and action. Freedom cannot be exercised without truth to guide it.
Emotions do play an important role in our lives.
Yet the emotional life is not always a sure guide to the needs of the human person. Preoccupation with feelings can become sentimentality, leading us to a greater selfishness and an inability to recognize the true needs of those around us. Our preoccupation with the self has not, however, made us experts in how to be happy. We meet more people who question the value of their lives. Many people, both young and old, simply despair.