Everyday Canvas

That Elusive Truth

Prompt: "Truth is a rare thing. It is delightful to tell it." Emily Dickinson Do you agree?

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I agree with Dickinson, in essence, but I don’t think one can define what truth is exactly. Like all words with intangible meanings, truth depends on the eyes of its observer and its interconnection with other beliefs people might have. In addition, if the truth of something changes with time and space and according to the individual perspectives and community beliefs, can that truth be reliable enough to be called, ’truth’?

Looking at the issue from another angle, aren’t white lies mini-truths in themselves since they are told to protect the feelings of people, and also, who can say they never told white lies? Yet, sometimes, what if we didn’t tell those white lies only to spare feelings? Wouldn’t we be alerting people to what the problem really is, even if telling the truth would be risky in some way? On the other hand, what if the truth hurt the other person so deeply that he or she didn’t want to live anymore? It is a catch-22 situation, isn’t it!

Then, there is such a thing as presenting the truth. Even in our reviews here in WdC, we try to see the good in a piece first, no matter how faulty we think it is? Isn’t this sugar-coating the truth, although I personally approve the practice wholeheartedly?

On the other hand, as far as I am concerned, I totally support telling the truth as I see it. Thus, when I say “I am telling the truth,” I mean to say, “I am telling the truth according to me, to my understanding, and the way I have perceived it.” Then, I would be free of self-recrimination and having to remember the ins and outs of a lie or an untruth.

If we ever find the truth in its purest form, it would be a delight to tell it, but as Oscar Wilde said, “The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”