What is the truth? It has become elusive or an outdated concept in our day and age. Objective reality, objective truth, objective foundations, and trusted institutions have become suspect. We have slipped from “what do we believe” to “who do we believe.” Misinformation in the hands of those with unchecked power or authority can serve as truth without documentation. So, what is truth? Is any discussion about truth fraught with confusion and misdirection?
I. Confused By Lies
This article begins its discussion of the complex and multifaceted word “truth” by looking at “lying.”
We lie for two fundamental reasons: 1) intent to deceive and/or 2) create a false or misleading impression. Lying creates confusion as to what is true. Focus shifts from objective information to finding support for preexisting biases. Today lying can go so far as to accuse “the other” of atrocious acts or even make religion conclude it is better to hate than to love.
We can say and do what we like when we believe in the rule of lies. When lying goes unchallenged it becomes impossible to distinguish between right and wrong. Eventually we lose trust in the rule of law and without documentation come to believe all authority lies. Truth becomes lies and lies become truth. Uncertainty reigns, resulting in hurtful, destructive and hateful condemnation of those who differ with us. Lying ends out separating us from each other leaving only negative judgment in its wake.
The Greek philosopher Socrates was one of the first to challenge established “truth” as lies. With simple questions he demolished the certainties of his intellectual contemporaries forcing teachers and politicians to question their own reasoning. He taught people to doubt assumed truths. He refused to deny his challenges to what was true and was eventually sentenced to death on charges of not recognizing the established gods of the state, inventing new deities, and corrupting youth with his thinking. Rather than renege on his positions, Socrates drank the hemlock. Those who condemned him were not in search of truth, rather preferring the illusions they lived with and calling them “truths.”
Socrates shows that one person’s truth is another person’s lie. Today, as with Socrates, lies often masquerade as truth when “facts” are miss defined or biasedly interpreted.
II. Truth and Opinion
“Truth” is defined from many perspectives. All you have to do is watch different news channels or tune into social media for a few minutes to see how “assumed” truths differ. Events may be warped and misrepresented, agreed upon by some and rejected by others. “Objective truth” is often open to radically different interpretations and applications.
Opinion, not objective truth is in season. We must ask ourselves if we are interpreting events to fit our preconceived beliefs or if we are looking at events objectively? There are some guidelines that help answer the question:
Health – Hippocratic Oath (do no harm) guides the medical profession. Societal Laws—Agreed upon objective standards (e.g. stopping at red lights or not murdering) that allow society to function.
Education – Informed positions verse uneducated or ill-informed opinions.
Openmindedness must be part of the equation. Examples: Bloodletting is no longer responsive to the Hippocratic Oath. Societal laws no longer keep women from voting and prompt us to stop at red lights. Informed education tells us “The earth is not flat anymore.”
“Let me keep my distance, always, from those who think they have the answers. Let me keep company always with those who say ‘Look!’ and laugh in astonishment, and bow their heads.” Author: Mary Oliver (1935-2019)
III. Personal Truth
In addition to the external variety, there is internal truth that is ours alone. The iconic artist Pablo Picasso emphasized this is a unique way. He said, “All art is a lie, a lie that tells the truth.” Art at its best enraptures, inspires, educates, and transports the witness to another place or state of being where his or her own truth is experienced. For Picasso the truth is personal, found in one’s interpretation of art. Art by itself is amoral. It does not lie or tell the truth, rather the observer finds his or her own truth in the art.
Our personal truth is how we understand our world, society, relationships, and ourselves.
Personal truth is found within each one of us being “true to oneself.” This means acting in ways that align with one’s values. We must strive to make our moral actions consistent with our ethical principles. This is a tall order, but with it comes internal peace.
IV. Truth’s Foundation
Truth is at its best when expressed in love. In the New Testament (Ephesians 4:15) Christians discuss the need to “speak their truth in love.”
Wanted on his tombstone:
“Tell the truth. Sing with passion. Work with laughter. Love with heart. Cause that’s all that matters in the end.” Author: Kris Kristofferson (1936-2024)
Truth does not rest in defending an opinion at all costs. Personal truth is not a technique to be learned, it is a way of being. Personal truth is steeped in love not hate, openness of thought not manipulation and giving not hoarding. Truth is revealed in our attitude towards life, others and our own situation.
Perhaps Anais Nin said it best:
“We don’t see things as they are,
we see them as we are.”
We return to where we began, ancient Greece. Socrates believed “real” truth is eternal and based in justice, beauty and honesty. It is a love force in the pursuit of wisdom.
Such truth sets us free. (Jesus of Nazareth, John 8:32)
Written by: Hartzell Cobbs
About the Author: With a sprinkling of exuberance and vitality, Dr. Cobbs is an accomplished author of three books and numerous articles published in different venues throughout his life. Dr. Cobbs’ first book, Thanatos and the Sage: A spiritual approach to aging (2008), offers a thought-provoking interpretation of the interplay between how to live life with meaningful intentions and the eventuality of coming to terms with death. His second book, RavenWind (2019) delves into the raven’s role as it relates to Native American myths, legends, and folktales and global history. His reflections on the spirituality of living and dying depicted in his books are threaded throughout the short essays posted on the website for “Smart Strategies for Successful Living” and in his latest book, The Moon at the Window: Senior Reflections.
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