Truth

I want you to think. I mean really think about one thing. I want you to ask yourself, "What is truth?"

Merriam-Webster will tell you that truth is: sincerity in action and character; the state of being the case; the body of real events, things, and facts; the property of being in accord with reality.  This defines truth, but it doesn't tell you what it actually is.  Let's ask another source about truth.

In Metaphysics, Aristotle and Plato said, "p is true if and only if p corresponds to a fact." Closer than Webster, but still not quite right. A fact is generally considered something that is true, which causes the original Greek to become recursive, and therefore not helpful.  Let's take a look at a different interpretation.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "Truth or truthfulness is the virtue which consists in showing oneself true in deeds and truthful in words, and guarding against duplicity, dissimulation, and hypocrisy."  Again, we find another circular definition about truth.

Now, my thoughts about all this. Truth is frequently defined vaguely or circularly because it is actually a hard concept to grasp. I know that I don't fully understand it, but I best know what it means to me from a song in the musical Jesus Christ, Superstar. In the trial before Pilate, Jesus is asked, "But what is truth, is it unchanging law? We both have truths, are mine the same as yours?"  And that one line got me thinking really hard about truth. And my current conclusion is that no one can tell you what is true. You have to go out and experience truth. I can't tell you what that means. You need to find it for yourself. People will discover their own truth in their own way and place. I won't tell you where I found my truth, as I believe that finding it is one of the most personal and private experiences that anyone will ever have. It is not something to be taken lightly.

So with that, I challenge you: go out and find your truth. Do it often enough, and you might find that even something as solid as truth can change. Live your life, and discover your truth.