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We live in an era of endless deconstruction. Whether through cynical social commentary, economic analysis, or media critiques, there is a constant urge to point out that the systems we live in are fake. We are told our fiat currency is an inflationary illusion, our degrees are just bureaucratic sorting mechanisms, and our jobs are meaningless cogs in a broken machine. The goal of this endless critique is always to "wake people up" and shatter their comfort. But as May unfolds—a month heavily defined by the raw, exhausting realities of human endurance—it is worth taking a collective pause.
May brings a unique convergence of celebrations: Mental Health Awareness Month, Labour Day, Mother’s Day, National Nurses Week, and Teacher’s Day. Watching the actual people—the mothers, nurses, laborers, and educators—who keep our society from collapsing brings a sobering realization: sometimes, pushing cold, objective truth without compassion is just a form of cruelty.
In his 1884 play The Wild Duck, playwright Henrik Ibsen introduced the concept of the "Life-Lie" (Livsløgnen). He argued that most people cannot survive the harsh, objective absurdity of daily life without protective self-deceptions. We need our routines, our small achievements, and our societal narratives just to keep going. As Ibsen put it: "Rob the average man of his life-lie, and you rob him of his happiness at the same stroke."
Why We Have to Leave Some Illusions Alone— In a world obsessed with exposing harsh realities, we often forget that some illusions are the only things keeping us afloat.
It is always tempting for the intellectual critic to point out these structural flaws. It is easy to tell a weary teacher that their syllabus is just a KPI-driven factory line, or to remind an exhausted office worker that the money they are grinding for is a depreciating trap.
But to what end?
The philosopher Richard Rorty explored this tension through his concept of "Liberal Ironism." An "ironist" is someone who recognizes that society’s deeply held truths and institutions are historically contingent and largely constructed. But a "liberal," in Rorty’s view, is simply someone who believes that cruelty is the worst thing we can do. Therefore, the liberal ironist sees the flaws in our social illusions but refuses to aggressively tear them down, recognizing that doing so often causes unnecessary humiliation and existential panic.
When we honor the people who hold our communities together, we have to look closely at the delicate balance between truth and empathy.
When a nurse finishes a grueling 12-hour shift, they do not need a lecture on the systemic failures of the healthcare industry. They need to believe their sacrifice was worth something. When a mother is celebrated, she does not need a sociological deconstruction of maternal labor; she needs to feel appreciated. When a teacher in Malaysia celebrates Hari Guru, they need our gratitude, not a bleak critique of the state education department they have to deal with every morning.
Arthur Schopenhauer argued that because life is inherently difficult, our primary attitude toward one another shouldn't be correction, but Mitleid (compassion). He suggested that instead of focusing on titles, status, or intellectual correctness, we should look at each other simply as "fellow sufferers."
This does not mean the critiques of our modern systems are wrong. The financial systems are volatile, our institutions are deeply flawed, and the societal scripts we follow are often arbitrary.
But intelligence is not just about memorizing facts or pointing out systemic errors. The highest form of wisdom is recognizing when to prioritize compassion over being right.
Albert Camus argued that in an absurd world, the only logical rebellion is human solidarity. Most people are simply trying to survive, often clinging to flawed realities just to make it to next Friday.
There is no real virtue in aggressively ripping away the coping mechanisms that keep people functioning. Sometimes, there is immense value in conforming to kindness. Accepting shared realities—however imperfect they might be—acknowledges the human engine inside the machinery of modern life, and respects just how hard it is running.
To the workers, mothers, nurses, teachers, and everyone quietly fighting their own mental health battles this May: your struggle is respected, and your reality is valid.