We deploy the word "truth" into conversations without qualifying what we mean by it. Beneath this casualness, we know it is a complex and multifaceted concept. Truth isn't monolithic. Meaning is made from an assemblage of varying types of truth.
The word “monolith” is formed from two Greek roots: "monos" = single, and "lithos" = stone, and stone of meaning might very well be brought to the table when working with cartomancy and ceromancy. Though not all questions are a single stone, some can indeed be called that. When we shuffle the cards or prepare and burn a candle, we break apart the obstacle, whether the inability to see something from another angle or find a solution to a situation, and reassemble it in a new way. Mosaic art is made this way: by shattering stone, tile, or glass, what have you, and creating a vision.
So, what have you?
One piece is the truth of the heart, the truths that resonate deep within us, an intuitive "yes" even in the absence of concrete evidence. These subjective truths, while lacking the rigidity of scientific fact, hold immense power in shaping our personal perspectives.
Another fragment is the truth of pragmatism. Sometimes, something works so well and yields such consistent results that its persistence becomes undeniable and functional, even if the underlying logic remains unexamined.
Then there's the illusory, the echo chamber of truthy ideas that masquerade as fact. These ingrained beliefs, often passed down from generation to generation, may or may not hold water under scrutiny. They highlight the social construction of truth and how our environment often shapes our perceptions.
Also, we encounter the transient truth of trends. Fashion and virality, even in the realm of knowledge, rise and fall with alarming speed. Today's technological revolution becomes tomorrow's outmoded yawn. It’s a moving target, constantly evolving as our understanding of the world expands.
Fiction and non-fiction, figment and fact: Each holds the power to reveal truth. Non-fiction might delve into the history of marriage customs across cultures, providing valuable statistics of societal norms. However, fiction excels in exploring the emotional intricacies of love itself. Through invented characters and situations, it allows us to grapple with the universality of falling in love, heartbreak, and the complexities of human connection. A sociological study might analyze trends in divorce rates, but a fictional love story can genuinely convey the raw emotions of a failing relationship. In this way, fiction and non-fiction paint complementary portraits of truth, each offering a unique lens through which we can understand the vast spectrum of human experience.
So, what are we to make of this multifaceted concept? Perhaps the answer lies not in forging absolutes but in encouraging these various shards to come together in ongoing experimental arrangements. By recollecting the subjective, pragmatic, inherited, and ever-evolving, we gain a richer understanding of the types of truths invoked when we cast the oracular for meaning.
