Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; unbelief in denying them.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
The first pains came early in the morning. Sharp pains, felt across the chest and in the back. Must be indigestion, he thought, and he took some antacid.
The next pains came in late morning, not as bad as before, but familiar. The antacid must be working, so this is probably a muscle spasm. Maybe the muscles are reacting to the first pains.
Then there were no more pains - at least for three days. When they came back this time, his daughter said enough is enough. Two days later he had heart surgery - the one thing he had carefully avoided thinking about in the first place. And now he's thinking about denial, and how everything worked out for the best despite himself, and that he's very happy to be here and to be in even better health than before.
His story is by no means unusual. Almost any doctor will relate similar stories about his or her patients. In fact, we've probably all had a similar experience with denial. It's a great defense mechanism for us, but it's inherently flawed.
Whenever we refuse to recognize or acknowledge the clear information we are receiving, we're in denial. It's not so much that we don't understand, as that we don't want to understand. So we see denial all around us, and not just in health problems where denying obvious symptoms now can lead to irreversible damage later. We practice denial in matters great and small.
Families faced with serious drug or alcohol abuse in their midst are familiar with denial, which may even be a stage they have to go through before confronting the problem. This can't be happening to us, they reason, and so they delay. The victims themselves may be experts at denial, refusing to acknowledge their problem and insisting that they can change anytime.
In business, the fields of commerce are littered with the skeletons of companies that refused to acknowledge the changes around them. They preferred the comfort of their station, and meanwhile, the signs were there for others to read and profit thereby.
Whole societies have been caught up in denial. How else can we explain the apparent placid acceptance of our serious social problems, including the decline of morality generally, the slippage of the family's key role in preserving our culture, or the steady portrayal of violence and immorality as entertainment in our popular media?
Denial works so well because it is a cousin to delay. We don't want to take action because that would change things, and change isn't always comfortable. Acknowledging a chest pain could lead us to the hospital; accepting changing business conditions may mean a painful restructuring; and accepting the truth about addiction may involve hard and difficult treatment. Nor is the truth always pleasant - but it is always the truth.
From the beginning, the Lord's prophets have been familiar with denial as a tool used against their message. As we read the holy scriptures, both ancient and modern, we marvel as time and again people who have seen miracles performed can shortly thereafter deny the evidence of the Spirit.
How could the children of Israel turn away from Moses and the teachings of God after having been led through the Red Sea on dry land, the water parted before them? How could the brothers of Nephi deny their father's teachings after having seen an angel? How could Judas deny and betray Christ after being witness to the miracles of the Savior? How could witnesses of the Book of Mormon, also having seen an angel, deny the leadership of their modern prophet?
No easy answers arise. But Christ said that such denial carries a heavy price. He warned the newly called apostles as he sent them out in the world to preach that "whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father, which is in heaven." (Matt. 10:33)
Indeed, the pivotal point in individual salvation is when we move from denial to accept the message of the gospel and the mission of our Savior. In a broader sense, denial is the antithesis of the gospel plan, which calls for unqualified acceptance. Satan would have saved all of us, but in the process have denied our moral agency.
In the face of our tendency to sometimes deny the evidence of our senses or of the Spirit, accepting the truth actually comes as a relief. The issue is resolved, and now the call is for action, for only until we accept the truth can we make progress. Then we can find the medical help we need, resolve the issues that split our families, or even commit ourselves to seeking salvation.
Getting rid of denial can literally save us.