1. Conformity to fact or actuality.
2. A statement proven to be or accepted as true.
3. Sincerity; integrity.
4. Fidelity to an original or standard.

 

"If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?" - Dogen

Truth is a strange thing. Some take up books and ideologies saying, "This is Truth! All must follow!" Others of a more scientific mind are always looking, always searching, and never determining any ultimate truths. And still others do not look for it but rather find it an inconvenience when it gets in the ways of their goals. As George Eliot once wrote, "Falsehood is easy, truth so difficult."

So why should we seek truth in our own lives?

Truth is an evolutionary catalyst for the mind and the soul. It allows us to know ourselves and others. Virginia Wolfe once wrote, "If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people." Her words are an echo of my experiences in this short life.

It is such a hard thing, though. How do you tell someone you love that they've hurt you? John Locke once said, "It is one thing to show a man that he is in error, and another to put him in possession of truth." Truths shouldn't be used to harm but to inform, not just others but ourselves. Those are the only truths that have power.

Do I like hearing the truth when it speaks out against me? No. It makes me uncomfortable and often leaves me feeling guilty. But I agree with Malcolm X who spoke loudly, "I'm for truth, no matter who tells it. I'm for justice, no matter who it's for or against."

I am for the truth.

In the past I have been threatened by those who's self interest was more important than truth. Fortunately for Americans we're protected from such slander by the American Bill of Rights. People in other countries are not so fortunate. However, Abraham Lincoln's words ring true throughout the world: "Truth is generally the best vindication against slander."

This is the path towards all truths:

"Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true." - Buddha