The Subjectivity of Truth

 Interestingly we live in a world where the massive amount of information available to us threatens our ability to discern truth. I found myself in a recent conversation where my honest response to another’s remark was “I don’t believe you.”  Hey, I’m getting up there in years when the old filters don’t work as well as they ought to. Still, I am embarrassed by having made the remark which would probably been better left unsaid. The problem is that the phrase “I don’t believe you” could easily be interpreted to mean “I think you are lying.” . . . 

Slim turned slowly.  A hush fell over the saloon.  “You callin’ me a liar?” Slim stood, without having seemed to move. His hand drifting toward the worn handle of the colt 45 slung with deceptive innocence low on his hip. . .  “Actually, no Slim, What I meant to say was that you, perhaps innocently, prescribe to a difference sense or interpretation of reality than do I.” Slim’s hand flashed like lightning, but not as swiftly as I disappeared beneath the table . . . 

Well, you get the idea. As I thought about it, and I have been, I realized that I really didn’t think my partner in the conversation was lying. “I disagree,” would have been a far more politic and equally truthful response.  But the tenor of current public discourse in America these days has sunk to such deplorable levels that I have found myself thinking more seriously about how does one actually discern truth in the hyper-mediated maelstrom of claim and counter-claim that invade our eyes and ears 24/7?

My current position is uncomfortable: truth is what we decide it to be.  No, I’m not advocating that we throw data, evidence, research and the scientific method out the window.  It is more complicated than that, but not as divorced from that simplistic worldview as I would like it to be. It is easy to take pot shots at sports figures who believe the world is flat, or that “vaccinated” can means something other than having a vaccine injected into your arm, or that the moon landing was staged, and - one would assume - as was the case with all the subsequent space launches by countries, corporations, and the hyper-rich of varying stripes and motivations. But when we dig a little deeper into our own “truths,” life here under the table gets a little less certain. After all, Slim is still out there with his shootin’ iron.

You see I was among those nasty professors who required essays to have footnotes. At this point in time I would like to invite anyone who has graded essays that demanded said footnotes would love to chip in with their own wildest examples: e.g.  “3. This came to me in a dream.” True story, as I live and breathe. Anyhow, the point is that we really do choose what and who to believe. And there are now out there on the internet “sources” to provide support for any, and I do mean any, strange and wild reality or “truth” you wish to cling to.  So what branch out there in the Internet jungle of truth do you want to cling to and why?

I’m not actually asking you to make a list, but I do that from time to time - well, more honesty from year to year, oh, OK, several times each decade.  I am somewhat comforted by the fact that as I grow older there is less variability in the lists, and they seem to reflect an increasingly consistent narrative, a worldview. And, of course, if you have been hanging out here on the Wall for 10 or a dozen years you know that I call my narrative Distilled Harmony, a worldview supported by four pillars or tenets which are, in descending order of import: first, most important, Foster Harmony, in your words, actions, everything. Second, Enable Beauty, again in everything, your the tone of voice and meaning of your words, what you paint, draw, cook, everything. Third, Distill Complexity.  Look for the cleanest, most precise understanding of the questions you face. And forth, Oppose Harm. When all else fails one must confront the people, policies, and practices that are manifested in behaviors that run counter to other three tenets of Distilled Harmony. But, and this is really difficult, you must, in your opposition, still seek to manifest the other three tenets.

I have found, in these monthly, yearly, “decadely,” reviews of my narrative that the components of Distilled Harmony seem to be consistently manifested in the writing, behavior, creative works, language, tone, touch and gaze of the people in my life whom I love and respect. So it seems I share my most central narrative, my most important truths, with those to whom I will always open my door and heart, because I know that no matter how egregious my unfortunate and repeating foibles, they will, in turn, open their doors and hearts to me. And so together we construct trust, forgiveness and truth.