We live in a society that has diminished the importance of truth. It is not politically correct to state that something is "right" or "wrong." You can hardly get anyone to own up to truth's existence, much less believe in it. All things are relative and left up to the discretion of the individual.
Yet, at the same time, we live in a society that searches for meaning and experience. We want to "be informed" and "be in the know." We follow blogs and watch "reality" tv. We submerge ourselves into the stories of others and procclaim, "now that's REAL!" So, in essence, we are not denying the existence of truth, but confirming that truth is in what we feel vs what we know.
A Madonna line in her song "Bedtime Story" goes like this: "words are useless, especially sentences, they don't stand for anything, how can they explain how I feel?" The experience, the feeling, has become the ultimatum. Words and knowlege have been surpassed.
This is a very scary place to be. In the past, we turned to the "experts" to inform us. We were led by institutions, our parents, the Church, or our leaders. We were driven by concepts such as loyalty, pride, patriotism, and devotion to country, church, and family. Although that is not a perfect system and has many flaws, we have gone in the completely opposite direction. Instead of turning to these experts to tell us what we should know, we rely upon our own individual experiences. I don't know about you, but my individual experiences are flawed as well. Let me share an example:
Since I live in the Chicago suburbs, I enjoy going downtown on occasion. One day I may decide to go to the city and have a wonderful time. I then determine based on my experience that the city is a lovely place and well worth my time there. However, if I were to be given the same exact circumstances the next weekend--even complete with the same great weather, the same companions, same restaurants and sites--I may have a COMPLETELY different experience. After that weekend, I may determine that the city is a trash heap and not worth my effort. It all depends on the state I am in in any given moment.
This is why experience as truth is a disaster. No one experiences things the same, so there would never be a universal belief. Even if I left it up to myself to decide, my mind may change on any given day based on how I feel. This negates the definition of truth in itself. Truth is something that is long-lasting and stands the test of time. It doesn't change or falter with the latest opinion poll or research finding. It isn't defined by those who percieve it. It just is in and of itself.
So, I have to ask myself, "where am I getting my truth?" I am certain that I don't want to base my life around the words of Madonna or the latest Tweet by Ashton Kutcher or even what they tell me on Fox News. How bout you?
I think to answer the question first requires one to explore the great question, Quid est veritas? Our own individual realities come from our experiences and senses, but whence stems truth itself?
ReplyDeleteNon-rhetorical question: what is truth?