The Unbelievable Truth

Aaaargh! I could have woken up and just wondered what to have for breakfast, but I woke, this morning, thinking about the Unbelievable Nature of Truth. A few stories immediately came to mind:

(i) how escapees from Auschwitz were advised to soak strong Russian tobacco in petrol whilst hiding in a woodpile, to shield them from being discovered by the dogs set to seek them out; managing to smuggle out a document with map; diagram of the entire camp; & figures of how many were being gassed daily. This was reproduced and sent to as many prominent figures who could have acted on the as yet hidden truth now exposed. But, when the the recipients padded down to their breakfast & opened their morning post - the sheer volume of figures was So unbelievable - especially by the nation that had produced such greats in our cultural history, the Facts were dismissed as propaganda & lies.

(ii) The whole JimmySaville episode, the guy who made kid's dreams come true in 'Jim'll Fix It', who fixed it so no-one would believe the bleatings of the victims, or have the power to do anything about it. The horror of kids having to live with Not being believed.

(iii) 'Revelations' of our dearly beloved film stars of cherished childhood films, who apparently have a hidden side that is too hard to believe, or process adequately. And, 

(iv) hearing a radio broadcaster balk the moment anyone said: 'I've got a good story for you - and, it's True!' Knowing these 'true stories' Always sound unbelievable & unconvincing.    

Also, I can't help feeling the Truth can be dangerous. It can blow your mind; break your heart & if you discover a truth you weren't meant to know & it threatens the continuation of nefarious doings - it can get you 'suicided', killed, or crucified; which is another case in point: How far-fetched the whole Jesus narrative and story of Faith is - none of it makes reasonable; rational, worldly sense (without the revelation enabled by the Holy Spirit with that inner Knowingness - that is specific & personal, but even so, is developed through a filter of one's upbringing / experience /attitudes etc that will differ radically to that of other's Truth).

Given all that (before breakfast) how is anyone to make sense of what's going on around us - underground; behind closed doors; in secrecy; in bare-faced con-man deception; in mainstream media, and the fug of 'What's REALLY True' - What is?! What if the Truth is so disgusting, denying it is preferable? What if discovering the Truth brings with it an uncomfortable sense of responsibility, or of helplessness? What then?

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.....