What is Truth?

Rabbit-hole Time! I started by checking out the difference between Mistakes (somehow the wrong word/thing slips out & you know it as soon as you see it) & Errors (made through lack of knowledge, something not yet learned). Both are accidental, unintentional, with no agenda, or intent to mislead. 

A little alarming, but timely, to come across the sermon by Brother James Koester addressing a 'post-truth world'; and quoting Pope Francis's term for disinformation - 'snake tactics', based on the 1st instance of 'fake news' - in the Garden of Eden. [https://www.ssje.org/…/11/25/what-is-truth-br-james-koester/]

I thought about myths & legends; exaggerations; taking things at face value, sloppy research; interpretation & translation: a minefield! Remembering an excellent essay by Amy Tan on listening to many 'introductions' before an invitation to speak; discovering she's married; divorced; had children; lost children; is childless etc. Amazed at the sloppy, quick glance-with-no-corroboration intros that take up time correcting.

I thought about the touching story about the origin of Albrecht Durer's Praying hands, that may not actually be true, even if we want it to be.

I'd read John Berger addressing the issue of context, and how things are introduced in his excellent Book: 'Ways of Seeing', years ago, so it immediately came to mind in the midst of my musings today. Edwin Becker, chief curator of the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, talks about this painting and the belief that has persisted about it in a very brief, but illuminating You Tube video. 

Turns out Van Gogh's actual final painting was 'Tree Roots', which I've never seen or heard of before!  The 'Chinese Whispers' of Art Appreciation....

I thought about Jesus asking his followers: Who do they say I am? Then making it more personal. 

I wondered: If Truth is a Person - does it make it any easier to understand? I'm guessing not. It still takes work, and time, and all that goes into the making of a relationship - with all the errors, and misunderstandings, and conflicts, and joys that go with that. People are complex, and the relationship I might have with someone, would not be the same as that of someone else. And as We change, the relationship changes.

Just a few thoughts.....