Should we still be insisting on - what more, be believing in - the absoluteness of truth? Could we ever arrive at one conclusion
so everyone could finally live in peace with one another? Or, were we all
destined to wage war for all eternity until the there is only one man left
standing? Is such a notion of truth dangerous?
Truth, it was said, is One and Absolute, and
independent of the knower. Truth, of this kind, depends not on what the knower
thinks it is or should be. The knower, to know the truth, must align himself to
it. He must be ready to receive its light. Truth, it was conceived, is timeless and
quite objective. However, only a few are privileged to know such a truth. And they announced it to the 'underprivileged' which make up the great majority of the human population.
The 'underprivileged many' was attracted to such a notion of truth. So intense were their emotions that they believed to have seen the Truth. Truth, they
argue, is on their side. And, they would insist on it, even wage a holy war if
need be. Indeed they have waged holy wars amongst
nations, communities and in their neighbourhood. Such is the social and political consequence of believing in the notion that Truth is the One and the Absolute.
It’s not a matter of (a) fact
Truth, many believe, is a fact to which they
add: it is an undeniable fact. But,
that's confusing the two terms.
Is it a fact that a big, unusual looking
bone an evidence of evolution? Sure, if you’re a
paleontologist or a believer in the theory of evolution. To someone who does
not share your belief, the big unusual looking bone is not a proof of
evolution. If two or more persons see the same thing in two different ways, then there is a distinction between a fact and a truth. Let me explain.
Truth is not equated to a fact, and vice
versa. Something becomes a fact when it fits into the story you believe in.
Something is true because it intensifies your involvement in the story, your
story. It is the story that causes a fact to rise up and present itself as true. This is the power of the story for it gives birth to the notion of truth. There is no truth outside a story. Without a
story we would not be able to make sense of the world and the things that
happen in it. We could not utter the word 'truth'. (A world, interestingly, is created through and by a story.)
Tell Stories, not the truth
The conflict between individuals and groups then is not a quarrel about
whether truth is absolute or relative. The conflict, which oftentimes ends in
violence, is the failure on our part to realize that what’s being told is a
story. Can you say that a story is (the) truth? After reading a book of fiction,
and remarking that 'it is so true', are you then not enlightened? Someone's story expresses your story, and deepens and widens the quality of your story, your life. And, it does without telling the truth.
Just as there are many communities there are many stories. Stories are meant to be told and to be listened, to, and the chance to acquire deeper appreciation and understanding of the world and ourselves.
When was the last time you listened to a story?
When was the last time you listened to a story?
