A BonBon ~ Faith Lynella
The first truth to know about truth is that there are a lot of different kinds. All are true to a degree—but they’re not equally genuine, accurate, and reliable.
1. Everyone knows
That’s the common wisdom of the world; accurate and inaccurate all mixed up together. That’s what we’re taught as kids and pick up from those around us. Although we don’t question it as it comes in, we spend the rest of our lives discovering what just ‘ain’t so. Still, it’s considered “close enough.”
2. What I know from my own experience
While it’s true you had the experiences, it’s seldom that any of us make the effort to place them in context. Besides, we’re dynamic and alive. So what we know and understand changes with time. The truth as understood by a child is very different from the truth understood by an adolescent, or the parents, or the elders.
All versions of what happened can well be true, as far as they go. But each is limited by perspective and experience. Trusting experience adds up to a whole lot of gray and very little certainty.
3. What I believe—the truth you’ve bothered to check out and commit to
You’ve grappled with it, scratched your brain and asked sincere questions. This is your best shot at nailing down the truth, so you’re willing to rely on it. It’s still a mix of truth and half-truths, dogmas and illusions. But, hey, they’re yours. And besides, they will change as you go along.
4. Fudge—what’s true because I prefer to think so
Oh no, not lies exactly. But it carries a bit of bias we close our eyes to—pretend we don’t see. It would be random distortions, but notice there’s always an unacknowledged element of self-dealing. Not much scratching beneath the surface or double-checking to get the facts, either. Quiet assertion or hype—same difference.
5. Scientific truth and reasoning
Now here’s where objectively reliable truth can be found—or so we believe. Science attempts to analyze and define what’s lawful in the world. But its methods are limited and the scope of topics narrow. There’s a lot that science doesn’t know or can’t find out. We’ve been oversold what rationality and the scientific method can deliver, so settle for facts that are “statistically significant.”
6. Big “T” Truth—the eternal, big-picture truths, like the virtues, honor and courage
These aren’t garden-variety trifling, subjective, defined-by-the-situation truths. These speak to our higher nature and make us rise to life’s possibilities. They can make us stretch. So we don’t take them off the place of honor and dirty them up in everyday concerns. No—we save them for special, in a safe place, where they get dusty from lack of use. Respected, quoted, revered, but without day-to-day relevance.
Sad to say, there’s not a lot of demand for big “T” Truth. Most people are satisfied with what they’ve got already—whether it came as religious dogma, a profound aha! experience, or wise philosophies.
Those who bring Big “T” Truth (visionaries and prophets) are seldom welcomed and often scorned. Their message is usually an affront to people who are satisfied with their own version of truth. And it’s always disruptive—challenging “what everyone knows” and “what I believe.”
7. Fresh Truth
Beyond even Big “T” Truth is Fresh Truth. It’s discovered and expressed by a person attempting to actually live the larger truths (which aren’t in service to their ego). Through their devoted struggle to live in accordance with their over-arching reality, the person stretches beyond the truth they know.
That brings truth alive. Perhaps only for a moment. But that’s the majesty of living truth—an authentic force for mankind:
- One individual at a time…
- One opportunity at a time…
- One truth at a time…
And that’s how one can keep truth relevant, fresh, and vibrant.
©Faith Lynella, 2012 Read more BonBons: http://faithlynella.com
