When Truth is Toxic: the Moth, the Ostrich, and the Gorgon

Resilience in Dark Times

When Truth is Toxic: The Moth, The Ostrich, & The Gorgon

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When Truth is Toxic: The Moth, The Ostrich, & The Gorgon

Finding balance between information and overwhelm

Michael Glavin

Sep 30, 2025

Intro:

What do we do when the truth itself is toxic? What do we do when reality is, in fact, tough to handle? How do we cope with the truth and still find a way forward?

Topic to be discussed:

In this podcast episode, Michael Glavin discusses “When Truth is Toxic” using stories, metaphores, and myths of The Moth, The Ostrich, and The Gorgon.”

Summary:

The moth: the drive to know, even when it’s self-destructive
The ostrich: avoiding the truth
The gorgon: how to face an overwhelming truth

Show notes:

The moth
Moths are drawn to the light, often therefore compelled to fly directly into their personal potential oblivion.
When it comes to people, as Michael discussed in the previous episode, we can often get sucked into doomscrolling. It compels us to do so, and once we start, it becomes increasingly difficult to stop. Want to learn how? Give the episode a listen.

I think it’s important to take a deeper look at that compulsion, to seek out something even when it’s destructive, and I think no author captures this self-destructive drive to knowledge better than H.P. Lovecraft.

(Michael Glavin)

When we look too long into our phones - the crystals - what we looked at can continue to stalk us.

Even when we put away our phone … what we invoke and conjure forth, what we awaken stalks us. This is just a story and a metaphor, but the dynamic is very real … I can’t shake the images of a disastrous future. They warp and distort my sense of well-being, affecting me long after I finished that article and put down my phone.

(Michael Glavin)

There are risks involved in consuming content, even though curiosity is a good trait, and wanting to know the truth is good.
Don’t be like a moth to a flame and ignore the warning signs. Ask yourself: “Is this scrolling and reading helping me?” If not, then stop. Put down the phone and go for a walk.

We’ve all heard the term, “Burying your head in the sand” - it means that you’re avoiding facing your problems.

(Michael Glavin)

The Ostrich
Ostriches hiding their head in the sand is a story that goes back 2000 years. (Fun fact: it’s not true!)
However, ridiculous or not, this is a prime example of attempted self-defence against stress and something overwhelming: if I do not acknowledge reality, then it can’t affect me.

A denial of fact can also happen subconsciously in some traumatic situations … and denial of emotional impact, where someone can admit that a negative event is happening, but they don’t let themselves feel the emotional impact, or they intellectually minimise the event in order not to feel the full weight of the emotions.

(Michael Glavin)

We need a functioning ego to exist in the world, so some denial can be a valid coping mechanism but when we deny reality, it comes at a price. We need to find a balace.

In situations where action is necessary, denial can be deadly.

(Michael Glavin)

The gorgon
How do we deal with an impossible task? We can take in just enough information that we need to take effective action without overwhelming ourselves emotionally.
We can find that balance between information and overwhelm.

It’s not, “Should we look at truth unvarnished?” Which is the moth, or, “Should we hide from the horrible truth?” which is the ostrich. Instead, the question becomes, “How much information do we need to do what needs to be done while maintaining our emotional ability to carry on?”

(Michael Glavin)