Proposition: There is NO absolute TRUTH.

The following is a philosophical discussion, a springboard for contemplation, please ensure that your replies are constructive...

Proposition: There is NO absolute TRUTH.

Even in science, which comes closest to "absolute truth," our knowledge is evolving, Before Einstein, it was TRUE that time was the same everywhere. Now we know more (our GPS systems are a practical implementation of the principle of Relativity).

In fields outside of science (politics, government, human relations, "morality," etc), TRUTH is no more than the OPINION of a person or group of people. Even if a lot of people believe something, that mass acceptance alone doesn't make it factually TRUE.

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact.
Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.
- Marcus Aurelius

Truth is not defined by
how many people believe something.
Ask. Question. Think.
Decide - for yourself.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -
it is the illusion of knowledge.
- Daniel J. Boorstin

The antiquity and general acceptance of an opinion
is not assurance of its truth.
- Pierre Bayle

There is no truth.
There is only perception.
- Gustave Flaubert

Having a personal opinion is great.
Believing that one's personal opinion is absolute truth
leads to most of the world's troubles.
- Jonathan Lockwood Huie

Great Truths

There are trivial truths and there are great truths.
The opposite of a trivial truth is plainly false.
The opposite of a great truth is also true.
- Niels Bohr

Niels Bohr, the great Danish physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922 for his fundamental contributions to the understanding of atomic structure and quantum mechanics, is making a point that is very Zen - or very Taoist if one prefers.

An example of a "great truth" for which the opposite is also true is the statement, "You are not your body; you are not your mind." While it is very true, if one so believes, that the "real you" is neither physical nor mental, it is simultaneously true that your body and your mind are very real, and ignoring their reality is likely to cause great suffering.

Another example of a "great truth" is the Golden Rule. It is true that we should treat others as we wish to be treated in the sense of being kind and compassionate to everyone. Yet the opposite of the Golden Rule is also true in the sense that it is kind and compassionate to recognize that everyone is called to a different life path and to honor those differences.

The water in a vessel is sparkling; the water in the sea is dark.
The small truth has words which are clear; the great truth has great silence.
- Rabindranath Tagore

Lao Tzu: The words of truth are always paradoxical.

Are you proud of every decision you make?

Question: Are you proud of every decision you make?

My answer:

I didn't used to be, and I often wasn't very happy.

Now, I follow through on my commitment to myself always to do my best. Often, I later get new information, or a new perspective, and discover that a decision I made turned out to be flawed, but I can feel good about myself in knowing that I did the best I could with the facts and state of mind I had at the time. My life is a lot more joyful now.

Like most people, I am also naturally wired with a predisposition to tell "white lies" or just omit some painful truth. However, after many years of self-inflicted suffering, I have learned that, in the long run, full-disclosure works out best for me.

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Simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.
- don Miguel Angel Ruiz