truth? what an antiquated notion!
Truth is not a variable.
A lot of us seem to have an amazing amount of difficulty defining or even recognizing truth. What is it? Does it even exist anymore, and if so, does it matter? Well, it seems to this particular insignificant human being that nothing could matter more. Have I figured out exactly what it is? Maybe, maybe not, how can I prove that I have? But it would seem to me that recognizing truth and its importance is something innate in every creature (not just people) on this earth. Like knowing sunshine from moonlight, rotten from ripe.
Truth is not subjective; it is not malleable to fit the ethics or politics of this person or that. It is what it was to begin with, and does not change. One might argue that truth does not exist, it is merely an absence of lies, like cold is merely an absence of heat. But that is not accurate enough. Truth is not fear, one of the least dependable indicators of verity. Neither is truth emotion or anger, joy, frustration, hunger. Today, as in the thousands of years before, truth is in critical jeopardy of becoming, in our daily lives both private and public, an enslaved beast. Subject to the whims of a ruling elite, or the whipping frenzy of murderers in priest’s garb. This is truth slain. Truth exists when lies prevail, but its power is meaningless until it is uttered, even whispered.
posted by jeremy @ 2:10 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Um...okay, that's all good and well, but your rant on "truth" here is a little vague. You say that truth is "not emotion" -- then what do you call emotional truth?
I believe that there are different kinds of truths, such as factual truths and emotional truths. Factual truths are just that: A hurricane hit New Orleans. A man was found dead at 3pm in his apartment. His wife is six months pregnant. These are actual facts -- there is no logical dispute.
Emotional truths, however, are extremely personal. I may recall how I felt about a situation: He wouldn't look me in the eyes -- I felt ignored and disappointed. This is my emotional truth, which would cause me to leap to some pretty saddening conclusions about myself and the situation at hand. While his emotional truth could be: She was toying with my emotions. I didn't believe she cared about me much at all. I was too intimidated or shy to look her in the eyes. And if the girl or boy lies and says, "I never cared about him/her much anyway," well, this, then, is an emotional lie. The truth could be that they both cared very much, but had a pretty unfortunate misunderstanding.
Truth is not always as simple as you've painted it to be, in stripes of black or white. Don't make the mistake of confusing emotional truth with factual truth. On the other hand, yes, I do agree with you that "recognizing truth...is something innate in every creature on this earth." The problem is that most people have (overloaded by propaganda and bad advice from the ubiquitious "common knowledge" of "they say") treaded so far from their own instincts and intuition that it's difficult for them to tap into this innate recognition. Someone who is able to trust themselves and tap into this intuition is much more likely to sense the truth of a situation.
Yet, in my opinion, there is something of much greater importance than this argument of truth vs. lies, and that is...understanding. Isn't that what we are all striving for anyway, when you come right down to it? To be understood? And, for some: to understand?
This brings me back to truth, for if someone says something you sense is a lie, look deeper: Why would this person say something that you believe to be untrue? Is this untruth...true for them? And why? By placing yourself in their shoes, you may just gain a deeper understanding of this person or situation. Which, in the end, is a significant part of what life is all about.
So what lies may you be telling yourself at this particular moment? What lies have you been living with for so long that they have become a part of your mindset, the very core of your being? And try this experiment for a week, or however long you can stand it: When you are in a challenging situation and find yourself about to react in a limiting, and/or fearful way, do the very opposite of what you would normally do. Then, just watch the results. And see if your own lies become exposed, your own truths become shattered, when you step out of your comfort zone and take a different course of action.
Confusing? Maybe. But no one ever said the truth, or what we may call reality, was so simple. Though I must admit, it does sound so poetic, to know "sunshine from moonlight, rotten from ripe."
If you're gonna leave a comment, great, but please make your point without specifically trying to talk down to the contributor. It is hard to imagine that you understand truth when you are so obviously convinced that you have all the answers and it's everyone else who has it wrong.
I think very highly of the contributor, and I have extremely strong feelings about truth. And I am completely unconvinced that I have any answers at all.
I think very highly of the contributor, and I have extremely strong feelings about truth. And I am completely unconvinced that I have any answers at all.
Greets to the webmaster of this wonderful site! Keep up the good work. Thanks.
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