“This is the character of truth: it is of all time, it is for all men, it has only to show itself to be recognized, and one cannot argue against it” - Voltaire (1694-1778)
Truth is the great clarifier. I think of Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men” being grilled on the witness stand by Tom Cruise – it’s obvious that Jack’s covering something because the pieces aren’t falling into place. And he gets frustrated and yells at Tom: “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!” It’s one of those great moments in film where you get that “ah-ha!” and then the truth comes out. The truth might not always be pretty – but it is what it is, and it wants to be discovered.
“Truth – is as old as God –
His Twin identity
And will endure as long as He
A Co-Eternity –“
-Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
Truth – just five little letters and yet such a big word. It’s so powerful, and so real. Truth is something we all revere – we all search for it, we all believe in it. Truth is pure and simple. It makes everything make sense. Truth is a guiding principle that can’t steer us wrong.
“There are no new truths, but only truths that have not been recognized by those who have perceived them without noticing. A truth is something that everyone can be shown to know and to have known, as people say, all along.” - Mary McCarthy (1912-1989)
Truth is beyond time and space. Truth is always available to us, now, and wherever we are. Truth is unchanging and eternal. Truth is not biased or preferential – truth is the same for each one of us, it is there for all of us.
“We know truth, not only by reason, but also by the heart.” - Blaise Pascal (1723-1662)
In many ways, truth is intuitive. We know it when we see it. We recognize it, we feel it. There may be no hard evidence to back something up, but when it is the truth, we don’t need evidence – we understand it without explanation.
“Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” - Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Of course, we know that there are infinite possibilities, but in our human experience we can only conjure up a portion of the possibilities based on what we’ve been exposed to. That’s why when some things happen we just can’t believe it – we can’t comprehend how such a thing could happen. But when we seek the truth, through prayer and meditation and spiritual practices, we see many more possibilities. We open up to answers and solutions that were once beyond our realm of understanding.
