"Does the truth always matter?"
The truth. The Truth. What even is the truth? Is there a singular Truth? Does the truth always matter? On with the basic philosophical gymnastics.
We shall first and foremost take some time to ponder the latter question: Does the truth always matter?, specifically the article "the". Indeed, this suggests the existence of a singular truth. Yet, truth is ultimately a matter of subjectivity, morality, ethics, and justice.
I personally lean toward the affirmation that there is a fundamental truth, though I would write it with a capital T to consolidate its all-encompassing nature as the Truth.
In this prompt/essay, I would like to explore, within my knowledge, the perception of truth, its role in human interactions, and its moral and ethical implications. Please note that English is not my first language, and as this is my first attempt (of many more, I hope), I cannot promise a completely smooth read, but I will try to put forth some of my reflections and observations to the best of my ability.
Humans are the shapers of truth, so truth is only a translation of our limitations in knowing the Truth.
As members of the human species, we are bound by the constraints of physicality, making us unable to truly explore a truth or the Truth (if we can even find it) by going back to the space-time of a truth-inducing event. Therefore, truth is inevitably subjected to the very subjective minds that materialized it into a concept. It often manifests as an argument of defense in the context of a victimizing event, in one way or another.
If the opposite of truth is a lie, then is everything that isn’t a lie considered truth? What is a lie? Is it the intentional distortion of an event, or merely an inaccurate depiction of it? Can we ever truly know when someone is lying, especially when there are so many "truths" out there? For almost every claim, there exists another truth that either refutes or further affirms it.
Water flows because it dislikes staying in high altitudes. Fire happens when God is angry at us. Rain falls because the sky is sad. These are all truths. While you and I might not share these truths or consider them the Truth, they are still the truth for some people. And unless we
uncover the Truth or cling to our own truths as though they were absolute, we all share a truth.
There is no Truth unless we construct it as such. What we deem truth is merely our perception of the world and life.
When we think about truth, it often arises in contexts that contradict it. This contradiction is not necessarily proof of a lie but rather evidence of a distorted and/or incomplete truth. When somebody lies, we expose them with the only truth we know—our own.
Truth is often a source of conflict. For example:
- The truth is: I cheated on my wife because I spent 10 years building a marriage and a home I never quite knew how to love.
- The truth is: I hit my child because I didn’t want to learn any other way of parenting. Doing so would mean deconstructing my own trauma as a child, and I can’t accept that my parents didn’t love me enough to change their ways.
That is truth. So when, hypothetically, my wife says I cheated on her because I didn’t love her, she might be telling the truth—or a truth. Maybe I didn’t love her. Or maybe I loved my coworker more. That, too, is a truth.
Furthermore, we are often quick to correct another’s truth but painfully slow in confronting our own and realizing that we have been telling ourselves the wrong truths—essentially lying.
Truth is summoned when it is in danger, when we are in danger, or when we seek to protect someone from the ultimate danger: being exposed. It then becomes a battle—one person facing an opposing other. In the end, it is also a tool to justify one's actions and challenge others' perspectives.
In fact, truth seems to matter most when its alteration has the potential to disturb our concept of morality and/or ethics.
Now, does the truth always matter? I would argue not. Imagine your husband asks if he looks good wearing that jersey he's had since high school—the one you have hated since day one. You respond with the usual "Yeah, you look great, honey!" Does the truth matter here? Most married women would deem it unnecessary. Some might even resort to its opposite—lying.
Ultimately, Truth is a matter of morality and ethics. It is also a matter of justice.
When we evaluate a society, we look at its laws, morals, values, and ethical norms—how it treats injustice. We assess a society based on its judicial system. A country's safety is often determined by how central the Truth seems to be within it (or how close its members are willing to get to it) and, therefore, how morally fair its sentences are—most often according to Western standards of values and "morality."
When exposed to extremes, people are often more open to compromising and challenging the comfort that passive thinking provides.
Nonetheless, imagine a child being prosecuted for murdering their parent. The truth is that the child killed their parent. But the child's truth—which, to some extent, also completes the Truth—is that they were severely abused.
Truth has been weaponized by politics. We see it all the time: politicians—past and present—claiming to hold the Truth within their ideologies. But I would argue that these institutions do not aim as high as the Truth; rather, they seek to construct a truth strong enough to be accepted by others and spread their political agendas.
Same age-old trick:
- The truth is that immigrants are stealing jobs from hardworking European citizens.
- The truth is that we must fight the rise of fascism in Europe.
- The truth is that women should have the right to abortion.
- The truth is that women should not have a say over their bodies.
- The truth is that Muslims are a problem in this country and must be secularized before they impose Sharia law.
- But the truth is also that Islamophobia is real.
Yes, truth is subjective, but sometimes it is also fabricated—to serve as an ideological umbrella under which a group of people can unite. It is about (1) making truth accessible and (2) making it relatable. The rightful pursuit of objective truth is often sacrificed for the sake of power and influence.
Ending words
Truth, justice, ethics, and fairness are deeply interconnected. But through my reflections, I cannot help but believe that truth does not always matter in everyday life (e.g., the husband's ugly jersey).
I would like to end with a brief exploration of the Truth, which—unlike truth with a lowercase t—is ultimate. The Truth is universal and unchangeable. It connects the dots like no other truth or lie can.
But since humans are lying creatures, I fear there will never be a Truth. That is not to say we are incapable of getting close to it.
I’d like to finish my thought with a last, brief exploration of The Truth.
God (if we believe His existence is the Truth) promises us to reveal the Truth at the call of Resurrection, therefore reaffirming the physical and time stagnant circumstances of humankind He does not obey to. I often wonder what the world would look like without Truth, all I needed was to look around.
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"Ideas mean nothing if they aren’t shared." This blog is a space for voices — not echoes. What do you think? Drop your thoughts in the comments.
(epilogue generated by AI)
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