"Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth ...?"
How many times have we all heard this phrase?
Recently I watched a documentary about eyewitness testimony. Most juries put a lot of stock in it. Turns out, it's not quite as reliable as people believe. In the passionate quest for justice, the brain can be a fickle beast. Before DNA testing, eyewitness identification was often the overwhelming evidence that convicted the accused.
Is it possible that sometimes the truth is just a story we've told ourselves so often it has become the truth in our minds? Is there such a thing as the absolute truth?
My opinion is my truth. But, I know it's fallible. My memories of events are my truth. But, I've often been challenged and even (gasp!) proven wrong.
There's something noble about the pursuit of truth. But I'm going to remind myself that it often depends on your point of view.
"Truth is beautiful, without doubt; but so are lies."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I'm glad you're back. And that's the truth!
ReplyDeleteYes, good to have you back.
ReplyDeleteWhen the Challenger blew up years ago a psychology class asked people what they were doing when they heard the news. 6 months later they asked those same people again. When confronted with the discrepancies folks insisted they had mis-reported in the original reports. Now I really don't trust my memory