Quid est Veritas?

Quid est veritas? What Is Truth? “…Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) “…I am the way, the truth, and the life…” (John 14:6) Introduction Over the past several years I have begun to more fully grasp some important concepts that I had previously either ignored or in some instances totally failed to recognize in spite of their now obvious relevance. With the passage of time I have been compelled to face the inevitable frailty of life and its fluctuating and circumstantially influenced fluidity. In today’s culture an old yet paradoxically and newly redefined word has gained traction mostly in terms of political agendas. That word in its noun form is denial. The practitioner of denial is voila… a denier! The current word usage is often determined or at least influenced by one’s so-called worldview, core values, or belief system. In fact, one can be quite rigid and even sanctimonious in declaring allegiance to a particular opinion regarding such wide-ranging subjects as for example, the ubiquitous climate change catastrophe, fluid gender identity and affirmation thereof, sexual proclivities, morality, evolving definitions pertaining to the beginnings and endings of human life, the value of one life over that of another, social justice, rights/entitlements, the reality of sin and even religion. I have occasionally discovered that it is often more convenient to move the tough realities to the back burner of my consciousness rather than deal with them now, as in the present. Fortunately or unfortunately, the inevitable truths of life can only be denied for a limited period of time. Eventually, the catchphrase “it is what it is” overcomes the escape strategies of procrastination and/or denial. It is therefore, necessary that the basic, yet surprisingly elusive concept called “reality” be explored and appropriately recognized; perhaps identified might be a more accurate word usage in today’s vernacular. Indeed, this treatise reflects the life-long saga of my personal quest for “truth” which I recognize as representing “reality”; for my purposes the two words reflect synonymous connotations. On the surface, it would seem that such an abstract pursuit might possibly be seen as a naive exercise in futility. On the other hand some might dub it a “no-brainer”. Sadly, I posit that the brain or mind, too often appears to play only a relatively minimal or at best, an unreliable and perhaps even a deceptive role in discovering the essence of “truth/reality”. While the following reflects anecdotal conclusions related to my personal quest toward identifying “truth,” it by no means is intended to suggest that I, of all people, have finally discovered what many so-called intellectuals before me have failed to apprehend within the constraints imposed through a purely intellectually subjective approach. Rather, I would characterize my observations thus far as representing the product of an active and dynamic migration toward understanding or recognizing the “reality” of truth. I will state from the outset that I must have a clear and confident recognition of my eternal destiny; otherwise there would be no point in this exercise. At the end of the day, nothing comes close to rivaling the significance of the eternal consequences of this particular endeavor. The eternal dynamic is in fact, the singular and essential point of reference on the road map leading to truth and its inevitable implications. I hope to demonstrate what I recognize as a symbiotic relationship between truth, reality, wisdom, and understanding. However, each has its nuance that I will attempt to explore. As I put my conclusions into what I hope will prove to be a coherent and pertinent form, I will from time-to-time include personal anecdotes intended to illuminate particular points I choose to emphasize. I will tip my hand a bit and state that I find this truth/reality conclusion represents both a real life, in-the-present, constituent as well as an eternal, existential component. Before I sally forth into this log of my personal quest toward truth, I will clarify a few characteristics of my writing style. I’m confident that it will quickly become, perhaps even painfully, apparent that I possess no formal literary training in the finer points of creative writing. So the ground-rules for processing what I hope to offer require the following caveats: From the outset I must confess to possessing zero formal theological education. There are no post nominals attached to my name that would in any way suggest or attribute expertise or authority in Biblical interpretation. I am not trained in Greek, Latin, or Aramaic languages; although I took a college entry-level class in Latin and Greek Etymology followed by a couple of semesters of so-called New Testament Greek at a very secular public university under the tutelage of a professor who likewise lacked credentials in theology. My conclusions therefore, are merely those derived by a curious layman and committed fellow truth-seeker. Whenever I wish to emphasize a word or concept, I like to use italics or underlining. Therefore, an italicized or underlined word or phrase is relevant in my mind alone and doesn’t necessarily reflect special emphasis of any specific source that I may happen to cite. Although I choose to think of myself as being rather, shall I say, witty or clever at times, I concede that others, including my wife, often choose to view some of my musings as sarcasm or at worst mind-boggling gibberish. This may be an annoying trait of which I should probably consider ridding myself. Perhaps I’ll try to work on that at a more convenient time. For now however, the demands of my ego require me to view it as a gift that may be rarely if ever, fully appreciated by others. When such droll musings are encountered, graciously think of them as an expression of literary license… Without further elaboration, suffice it to say, that I make no effort toward political correctness. In fact, my view of so-called political correctness is that it represents a convenient mini-case study in the signs and symptoms of a very delusional fantasy. Therefore, if the reader takes offense at what at first blush may appear to be insensitive or otherwise harsh inference, then I will consider my efforts toward discussing truth/reality to have been thought-provokingly successful. However, as an up-front morsel of sincere advice, I would suggest perhaps consideration of counseling or perhaps even an emotional support animal if you find yourself to be easily offended. Another apropos catchphrase comes to mind…”get over it”…I believe allowing one’s frail ego-inspired emotions to close the door to listening as opposed to merely hearing a sometimes brutal truth is at best, evidence of “thin skin” and at worst, an indication of unaddressed neurosis or even psychosis. I may have just risked being labeled as mean-spirited, harsh, or hateful. Alas, I have long since gotten over that pointless fear. I have never suffered under the illusion of winning a Pulitzer Prize. No further disclaimer or elaboration on that topic is necessary.