Sunday, August 29, 2010
Ambiguous Truth
I believe that the word “truth” is a very ambiguous word. Some believe that there is only one true truth which results in a right or wrong answer while others believe that truth varies within morals, ethics religion. I personally believe that there is no truth, only perceptions of truth. I have learned this through past experiences and conversations with people in my life who shared opposing or indifferent views. More than often I found it almost unbearable to tolerate what they were discussing and I have played the Devil’s advocate. I quickly learned that a lot of people feel very strongly about certain things and do not have any inclination to change their mind or to hear the opinion of others. It became very apparent that in order to understand “truth” I needed to learn how to listen, not just hear other people’s words. More so, I needed to free my mind from bias, judgment and any pre conceived ideas. Putting myself in another person’s shoes allowed me to see the world through a whole new set of lenses. A quote that reminds me of my experiences is this. “The open minded see the truth in different things: the narrow minded see only the differences.”- Unknown source. I have come to appreciate the diversity in people’s backgrounds which plays a large role in their way of thinking and beliefs. It took patience and determination to accept that people will disagree with me and it does not make them anymore right or wrong. “Truth” is something that does not necessarily have to be proven, but something that is believed based on the individual and their life’s experiences. I am more open minded now and have taught myself to pursue other people’s beliefs and morals by asking deeper questions and often times even questioning my own. Overall, truth to me is about being tolerant, not ignorant.
Further more, an experience that has influenced my life regarding truth is a relationship that has brought me to different realizations of truth and the many aspects of it. “People say they love truth, but it reality they want to believe that which they love is true.”- unknown source. To me this quote represents my feelings towards my relationship. I have been unhappy and dissatisfied for many years now and have convinced myself by lying and manipulating my mind into believing otherwise. I have diluted the line between reality and my truth. It has become hard for me to see what is real and what I have convinced myself of. I often find myself wondering if I am satisfied with the decisions I make or am I settling for what I have so that I do not have to deal with the truth and all the pain that may follow. The desire to live true to myself and do what I feel is right has been overridden by my fears of what the truth is. In addition, I have repeatedly told myself that what I have is real and that is why I love it. My lies have become my reality and my reality is now a version of a lesser truth.
Lastly, I picked the quote “If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything” –Mark Twain because although it seems very simple and obvious, rarely is this ever practiced. I have had many experiences within relationships that reflect this quote. I believe that when people lie they are unintentionally creating the snow ball effect because they now have to lie to cover up their lies. Trying to remember what you said to begin with in order to stick to a particular story can and will create a recipe for disaster. Truth is something that isn’t always easy to say but speaking it once will save you a million lies.
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