NOT SO LONG AGO..............

I challenged the committee's decision , not only with regards to a ruling , but also the manner and way by which it had been reached. From where I was standing , I thought significant mistakes had been made , which reflected a complete lack of rational thinking.
When I voiced my concerns I was both shocked and perturbed as to why none of them had been acknowledged or accepted as deserving further discussion or debate. I asked the chairman why my views have been dismissed as irrelevant ,  and the reply I received left me speechless : " No one else on the committee agreed with you ".
" Excuse me......but I'm a mathematician ......and I know two plus two does not equal five "
" Well , five is the answer we all wanted....five is the answer we were all happy with....and five is the answer we are all determined to keep "
" But the method you used to get the answer is flawed "
" The method we used clearly served its purpose since it ended up with five  "
" But you must all be blind to the fact that there is no sound logic or reasoning to justify such an outcome  "
" Might is right..... so logic and reasoning don't come into it....... moreover , by allowing bias and prejudice to dictate the process , we can make two plus two equal number we like in any manner or way we see fit. " 
And so in that short exchange of words , the perplexing problem of The Human Condition was revealed : no matter what merit , truth and validity may exist in an argument , if it threatens to undermine one's pre-judgement and/or firmly held belief then it must be ignored or treated with contempt.

I introduced an elephant into the committee room that day. As far as I know it is still there waiting for someone to finally see sense ,  and recognise the error of their ways.