There’s more to the truth than just the facts.
There’s more to the truth than just the facts.
What exactly is truth?
At first blush, that would appear so obvious as to not require an intelligent response.
But, for the purpose of a mind expansion, let’s explore that concept, just for fun.
Truth is by definition:
(1) the body of real things, events, and facts : ACTUALITY
(2) the state of being the case : FACT
(3) a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality
(4) a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true
(5) the body of true statements and propositions
So there you have it. That is truth. Clear and simple.
But not really.
Because all you need to add to truth is time, before truth is no longer truth.
Take definition (2) for example. In 1862 when America was fighting (its first) Civil War, the truth was that human beings cannot fly. As was the truth that all brain maladies are fatal. Nor could a human heart be removed from the body and replaced by another one. The prospect of a human being setting foot on the moon, was unthinkable.
So truth is very malleable in that regard, as science and other advancements negate previously held beliefs/facts and replace them with new ones.
Truth is equally perceptual. Akira Kurosawa, one of the true pioneers of epic, thought-provoking cinema, spelled out this premise in the film, Rashomon. This film has become a shorthand for the lie of objective truth — what you see, basically, depends on where you stand. One day before filming, Kurosawa was approached by his 3 assistant directors who complained that the script was impossible to understand. Kurosawa’s response spells it out…
“Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing. This script portrays such human beings — the kind who cannot survive without lies to make them feel they are better people than they really are…Egoism is a sin the human being carries with him from birth. It is the most difficult to redeem. This film is like a strange picture scroll that is unrolled and displayed by the ego. You say that you can’t understand this script at all, but that is because the human heart itself is impossible to understand. If you focus on the impossibility of truly understanding human psychology and read the script one more time, I think you will grasp the point of it.”
Rashomon is the epitome of perceptual reality.
For us to understand the truth, and fully embrace it, is to appreciate that there is no one fast truth. As quickly as you may point out that it is true that a large boulder is solid, you only need zoom in on that boulder through an electron microscope to discover that it is, in actuality, 99% empty space. When you start to consider that atoms are about 99% empty space and they make up 100% of the universe, you can start to see: you’re made up of nothingness. Every human on planet Earth is made up of millions and millions of atoms which all are 99% empty space.
We can hold on to truths that we believe are so…. But perhaps it is much more wise to accept that truth can be transitory in some circumstances and, as such, is malleable in the overall scheme of things.
Happy Sunday!
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