I read the most interesting article in a back issue of Charleston magazine. I usually absorb and repeat virtually every page to anyone who will listen, so how this issue slipped by me, I don't know. I vaguely remember a leaf-through. Author Harriet McLeod interviewed Jack Hitt: native Charlestonian, magazine writer, author, and one-man stage storyteller. I won't rewrite her incredible interview, but I will hinge this story on his answer to her question concerning his new stage piece.
Harriet asked Jack: "Your piece is called 'Making Up The Truth.' What do you mean by that?"
He said: "Cognitive scientists now float a gorgeous paradox: that the truth we see is crafted out of our flawed perceptions and into a very convincing story by our brains. So, we see a truth that is made up and made up every time we see it. All this time, I thought it was just me; turns out, it was all y’all, too."
I was totally mesmerized by his take on cognitive research of truth (here it is, if you'd like to read it). And I came upon this article at a good time. I was dealing with some issues of truths in my own life. As an overly optimistic person, I was questioning whether I have spun positive webs around areas in my life that are, sadly, in need of repair.
And what is the truth? A few clicks of my remote and I am ankle deep in reality shows, warring political networks, and anti-this and anti-that groups. Everyone seems to have their own version of truth. But, we have to fall on one side or the other, right?
When I started typing this out two things came to my mind.
- Peter Frampton's lyrics: Do you feel like we do. After playing the song and reading the lyrics, I quickly determined that what I believed to be truth in the 70s is not truth for me today. Our only commonalities being that Peter and I have both experienced drastic losses of tresses.
- The first part of our Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident. The definition of "self" is singular... your consciousness, of your own identity. The definition of evident means clearly revealed to the mind. So, add on the "we" at the beginning, and there are clearly groups of people who each singularly believe those truths. Which also means there has to be another group of people somewhere that doesn't believe this as truth. Collectively by starting with "we," our country decided to go this way and forgo the differences in varying opinions of truth to fall on the side of majority, but never intending for majority to be absolute truth.
A while back I "friended" a very interesting and talented person. I didn't agree with many of this person's philosophies, however they gave me insight into views I could pursue to find my own truths. A Facebook post recently stated that this person wanted to give heads-up that they would be de-friending anyone that liked a particular participant in our November presidential election process. They stated the reason as being that "they couldn't possibly have anything in common with someone who supported the views" of that person. It bothered me, not because they believed differently than I, but because they couldn't comprehend that there are more truths than their own and are not able to accept that the two worlds coexist together.
I am forever grateful to the inventive trailblazers across our great country. Can you just imagine what the world would be like if their ideas and inventions were thwarted by skin color or religious or political beliefs? I have never questioned the skin color of the first person to run hot water over coffee beans. Nor the political views of the first person to ferment wine by leaving the grape juice out too long. And I could care less what the sex was of the person who dropped the chocolate in the peanut butter and came up with Reese's Cups. I love them all. In our muddled world of political correctness and blurry lines drawn in the sand, I believe truth and opinion have cloned.
I believe the old adage goes, "Opinions are like aspirins... take two and call me in the morning," or something like that.
