# 93
From Brian to Bobby
July 20th, 2009
I hear what you are saying. Truth is incredibly important. It’s the basic building block of freedom, but it’s so illusive, and I do believe “nuanced”. I really can’t define it, when I think about it. I have a sense of what it is, a strong sense, but my inability to clearly define it is troubling.
I think I might make a distinction that, by my attempt to say what it is, “truth” seems like the starting point for “self-determination”. Where we feel cheated is when some other persons definition of truth hampers our ability to be free to do what you want to do, to make decisions for ourselves, to live the way we want to live. It seems truth comes in the presense of freedom, self determination, and justice, but take any of those away and truth seems to be compromised.
You hit me with a mind bender! I mean, I can fully understand your desire to have accurate, unbiased, information, especially when it comes to being able to live how you want to live. It’s occurring to me, though, that sometimes “truth” can appear to be “in the eye of the beholder”. Take for instance the war on terror. The US sustains an attack, many innocent Americans are killed, and as a nation we’re scarred for life. So to many of us, it seems that “truth, justice and the American way” needs to be protected at ALL costs. The most extreme take it to another level, where they think they are fighting for truth, but really they are avenging “our lost innocence”. Next thing you know we have prisons filled with people who didn’t do anything in Cuba. Somewhere along the way “truth” was bastardized, though arguably in the name of “love” and a desire to “return to innocence”, ignorant as it may be.
And yet, “truth” when it comes to simple facts, is really easy to maintain. It’s the opposite of falsehood. A simple fact such as “it’s night time” is easy to find concensus on when it’s midnight, but as soon as “night time” is up for interpretation, or becomes metaphorical, then all bets are off. Midnight is 12AM, and “AM” means morning to us generally, and morning and night seem opposed.
For some reason I have these opened up:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_cave
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor_of_the_sun
I sound like I am making argument for argument sake. I’m really not. I’m just perplexed.
So that’s great you moved in with your dad. That’s in Malvern, right? I like that photo you sent. Is that the view? How’s your rib? How are you doing in general? What’s your exercise schedule like for this week?
B