The Illusive Truth

It is fascinating to me that the truth is so illusive.

When growing up I seemed to accept that everything that I believed could be automatically classified as "The Truth". Then it wasn't long before I found that not everyone agreed with my "The Truth" and I had to find out how to deal with that. That was easy - mine was "The Truth" and theirs was nonsense!

Then I got married! That changed things. My spouse's "The Truth" didn't look like mine and I wasn't allowed to discard it like I did with everyone else. I was forced to question my most sacred "The Truth" for the first time. I had to - don't say it - consider that it may not be the truth! I have to confess that it took years to swallow that - I still find it unpalatable!

More recently I have come to realise that my "The Truth" is really "What I Believe to be the Truth". In fact none of us are absolutely sure of much. We are OK when it comes to understanding about our frame of reference but then that is really only of value to ourselves. A soon as we impact on someone else we begin to loose our ability to be certain.

For example.
I see a woman drive by in green Ford. This is my truth. As long as I only deal in my own frame this is "What I Believe to be the Truth".

Then my spouse next me ruins my day and says "Did you see that long haired guy drive past in the blue Ford?" That is their "What I Believe to be the Truth" and it's not looking like mine!

If two observers of a single incident can have such different experiences what hope do we have of trusting the observations of our forefathers?

I've only been talking about everyones "What I Believe to be the Truth" and said nothing about the many times that people so easily fabricate their truth. People do this often without realising it. Perhaps to protect themselves because the truth would reveal more about themselves than they want to. People also fabricate the truth on purpose to gain the upper hand in life. So even people's "What I Believe to be the Truth" is hidden, bent and adjusted so that virtually anything anyone says is quite possibly... wrong!

Everyone says that history belongs to the victor! Nobody says that the victor is someone to be trusted!

So... the truth is illusive! 

I can't spend my life not trusting anything anyone says but I don't have to be surprised when it turns out not to be correct.

This all reminds me of my student days when Pete Job said that his Philosophy lecturer asked the class how they could be certain that he, the lecturer, was real. I remember thinking at the time how stupid Philosophy was! But remember those where the days when I still had "The Truth"!

I does make you wonder what is real and what is just "What I Believe to be the Truth"!

It's no wonder Jesus claimed to be "The Truth". Yes, that is my "What I Believe to be the Truth"! Recently that has been my foundation. The corner stone to my truth. I look forward (my hope) to the day when I will see it as "The Truth".