TRUTH

I have been re-watching Ken Burns epic film The Civil War.  It is long and complex, filled with endless battle scenes and intimate, human moments of grief and longing, frailty and valor. Its portrayal is sympathetic to all the participants, both north and south in that he attempts to understand what motivated them as individuals and as nations.  Burns is more curious than judgmental, leaving that to the viewer.  It has left me wondering about personal perception, justification for action taken and truth itself.  It occurs to me that it is easy to remain within the comfort of one’s own point-of-view.  It is what keeps our current political situation so fractious and our attitude toward the opposing party filled with antipathy.  If we are unwilling to be curious, will we ever find common ground?  

Some questions I’ve been considering:

Can we find truth when everyone’s view is subjective? Or must we agree that some truths are self-evident and above argument?  And that, by this perspective, justice can only exist. 

Are there truths we can all agree to given the appropriate context?  For instance, that we might risk our personal well-being and comfort for another (human or otherwise) for their preservation?  Or, that we might take another’s life to preserve the greater good?

Are all of us equally empowered?  Or can we agree that some face greater obstacles than others and that we have a responsibility to justice?

If we are committed to truth, is it reasonable to expect a thorough and introspective examination of our own unconscious motivations and drives, our assertions, our assumptions?  What do we do with what we find there?  

Do all of us owe anything to common assets such as the air we breath, the water we drink, the land that gives us nourishment? What is our relationship to these assets?  Are we the keepers of them or the custodians

What determines the boundaries of our responsibility, both as an individual and as a body?

Truth, it seems to me, is bigger than what we immediately see, hear and feel around us.  Investigation and questioning are essential. Our understanding of truth is both where we are now and what situation we might be in at any other point in time. Truth is complicated and personal and yet also collectively self-evident.  It is never completely discernible but demands questioning never-the-less. There are some truths that must be upheld by the collective and acted upon by the individual.  Perhaps, it is only through our imagination that we can exist in all the possibilities and, at least, imagine a perspective other than our own. In this interconnection may lie shared truths and reality which points to our common humanity.