What is TRUTH and Why Does It Matter?

It matters because ideas have consequences and false ideas generally have bad consequences. We find ourselves facing a wave of disinformation and tremendous division everywhere, based largely on the absence of TRUTH.

TRUTH is the very foundation of our society. Without TRUTH, we have no trust. Without trust, we cannot make decisions. Without the ability to make decisions, all society stops functioning.

TRUTH is essential in business, government, relationships, science, and with our institutions. It allows us to function with understanding and confidence. TRUTH is the final protection for our way of life, our wellbeing, and our very survival.

TRUTH is under attack because there is both your truth and my truth, and the actual TRUTH. We differ on what is true now more than ever. This has happened primarily because the media today has taken TRUTH to be relevant. Relevant to a particular slant or ideology. Relative to politics and power. Relative to small groups with large voices.

There was a time when we counted on the media to dig for the facts, to investigate, and to present truths. We no longer trust the media and often feel that it is spreading lies instead.

All of this and I have still not attempted to define TRUTH. From Wikipedia we learn that “TRUTH is the?property?of being in accord with?fact?or?reality.?In everyday language, truth is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as?beliefs,?propositions, and?declarative sentences.”

The challenge is then to begin to identify the facts and reality that make up any subject we need to address. We still find, no matter what, that people are divided on the facts. Evidence, testimony, scientific knowledge, and pure logic can be applied, and people will still believe what they want to believe. Perhaps the best we can expect is some consensus on what the TRUTH might be, or agreement to disagree.

Court cases or trials are, perhaps, the best example. The judge charges the jury to ponder all the facts and determine the innocence or guilt of an individual without a “shadow of doubt.” Both sides argue their cases, providing evidence, facts, testimony, and expert witnesses. The objective is to determine the TRUTH of the matter at hand. I love shows like “Law and Order” where the attorney tries his best to put a chink in the armor of the witness. Their statements are examined and cross-examined, objections are made, and the judge renders opinions based on his understanding of the law. In the end, twelve individuals (usually) must come to total agreement to determine the TRUTH. Most of the time it is almost impossible for two people to come to an agreement, but these are the high standards of the court.

Most often these standards are not applied to life. We tend to believe something is true based on the source, how many times it is repeated, and if we trust what we hear. The pursuit of the TRUTH is subjective, difficult, and not always perfect. We must not, however, take everything on face value. We must test it, discuss it, research it, and make our best decision based upon what we know and have learned. TRUTH is relevant, contextual, and based on the facts we know.

In the end, there is only one TRUTH, and this TRUTH will set us free!