We seem to be in a "truth" crisis. It seems impossible to turn on any form of media without some fact checking and media storm about a politician lying. Yet, lying politicians are not new - maybe now just more brazen. It's hard to miss the lying businesses, advertisements - indeed lies seem to be everywhere. The old game of truth or dare is turned around to I dare you to tell the truth.
One of the more challenging truths about truth is how much we lie to ourselves. We create family history that is unreliable, twisted in some way and, at times, fantasy that has no factual roots. We lie about our feelings because there is a depth to them we may not be ready to face.
There are many times we aim to tell the truth but memory has failed to accurately record what happened. Human memory is quite fallible. There is lots of psychological and neurological science to confirm that. Eye witness testimony is often thought of as the least reliable.
Part of why our recall is so prone to error is partly related to the emotional state we were in at the time - happy, angry, frightened, traumatized, depressed, joyous, distracted. It can also be affected by loyalties to self or others. Harsh truth may be hard to tell about someone to whom you have a strong connection or a sense that being faithful to their image or memory is necessary.
Many lies are quite deliberate; many just poor recall and some related to avoiding. Yet, how we think things are (our perceptions and memories) impact the choices that we make unless we are able to be in the moment, deciding then what must be done. It's a challenging task because so much behaviour is driven by latent memory, interpretation, beliefs and loyalties.
So how does meditation fit in? It is the time when we can allow ourselves to feel what is there - not interpret, not change, nor fabricate or alter - just be with what is - be with the truth. Even if only for a few minutes. Slowly it makes it easier to be non-reactive to the behaviours of others that in the past would create anger, jealousy, sadness or even happiness that is not linked to reality.
Truth
I promise to tell the truth,
I swear the oath.
What is truth?
Will I ever know for sure?
the whole truth,
Is this even possible?
The whole truth, is there partial truth?
When is it just a lie?
nothing but the truth.
Who knows the truth?
Do I?
Each memory called forth
contradicts the one before.
I swear to God.
My oath is a lie
I see the past so clearly
Yet it must be a fiction
Please state your name in full.
I can do that
Is that really me?
Or is it just a character created at birth?
To know for sure I need the truth
But it is not there
Fragments, semblances, hints or pretence
Life is reality in half truths.
One of the more challenging truths about truth is how much we lie to ourselves. We create family history that is unreliable, twisted in some way and, at times, fantasy that has no factual roots. We lie about our feelings because there is a depth to them we may not be ready to face.
What do you see? If I see it differently who is telling the truth?
There are many times we aim to tell the truth but memory has failed to accurately record what happened. Human memory is quite fallible. There is lots of psychological and neurological science to confirm that. Eye witness testimony is often thought of as the least reliable.
Part of why our recall is so prone to error is partly related to the emotional state we were in at the time - happy, angry, frightened, traumatized, depressed, joyous, distracted. It can also be affected by loyalties to self or others. Harsh truth may be hard to tell about someone to whom you have a strong connection or a sense that being faithful to their image or memory is necessary.
Many lies are quite deliberate; many just poor recall and some related to avoiding. Yet, how we think things are (our perceptions and memories) impact the choices that we make unless we are able to be in the moment, deciding then what must be done. It's a challenging task because so much behaviour is driven by latent memory, interpretation, beliefs and loyalties.
So how does meditation fit in? It is the time when we can allow ourselves to feel what is there - not interpret, not change, nor fabricate or alter - just be with what is - be with the truth. Even if only for a few minutes. Slowly it makes it easier to be non-reactive to the behaviours of others that in the past would create anger, jealousy, sadness or even happiness that is not linked to reality.
Truth
I promise to tell the truth,
I swear the oath.
What is truth?
Will I ever know for sure?
the whole truth,
Is this even possible?
The whole truth, is there partial truth?
When is it just a lie?
nothing but the truth.
Who knows the truth?
Do I?
Each memory called forth
contradicts the one before.
I swear to God.
My oath is a lie
I see the past so clearly
Yet it must be a fiction
Please state your name in full.
I can do that
Is that really me?
Or is it just a character created at birth?
To know for sure I need the truth
But it is not there
Fragments, semblances, hints or pretence
Life is reality in half truths.
Blink away, what was there is no longer - was it true?
Which image will you remember?
Which will be true?
© Peter Choate 2017
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