TWO BOOK PROJECT - Monday Feb. 28, 2011
today’s Musing written and published from Cranston in south- east Calgary, near the Bow River valley
Morning walk: -21C (windchill -35C)/-6F, overcast, some light snow blowing around in a fierce north wind; Gusta took way too long to find a pee-stop while I dutifully went about freezing – not telling her she’s going to the shop today to get her spring haircut …
Perhaps, like trying to hold liquid mercury in your hand . . . just when you think it in hand, it slips away, taking with it whatever understanding of it you thought you possessed.
I’ve spent considerable time recently - thinking about, working on and exploring, in my mind at least – this perplexing issue/subject, reflecting on some experiences, a commodity as elusive as any I can imagine.
Confronting my understanding of the theory, the myth, the mystery, the complexity and the substantial lack of it I see all around me; wondering if it ever really exists in a pure form like elements in the periodic table.
I seek to know truth.
I don’t believe truth should not be confused with words like simplicity or logic or purity. I believe it is most likely and most often none of those. Not simple, not logical, not pure.
But still, how complicated can it be?
Truth is truth, is it not?
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s words ‘Truth is beautiful, without doubt; but so are lies.’
As much as a I like his quote, I wonder if truth is beautiful. Is it?
I looked it up. The definition in Wikipedia begins: ‘Truth has a variety of meanings …….’ I stopped right there, read no further. How can that be?
Pursuit of it, living with (or for) the illusion we’ve found it or have a grip on it is not our prettiest sight – often it is a place where much anguish lives or is caused because we trip and stumble so, in our pursuit and, or, our rationalization of it, that we have it or practice it. In my quest for an answer of what truth is, I only form more questions. I thought I would look up a book on truth – finding little of relevance. I found one question, the heart of someone’s book that started out with the line: ‘Can writers ever grasp the truth?’
That grabbed my attention; can truth be grasped? Is grasping it a way to have it, understand it or simply take a snap-shot of what one truth look like going by? Again, my mercury analogy seems apropos.
Truth is__________.
I want to fill this blank.
But I wonder if it can be filled.
Something as fundamental – as important – at the crux of so much in life, of society, rooted in our laws and religions, our judeo-christian ethic, our governing principles; the very foundation of how we were raised and how we raised our children, how our society is organizes – on truth telling – so, how, could this be so ill-defined and elusive?
The Miriam Webster version (I’ve edited a bit in the interest of brevity):
Definition of TRUTH
1
a archaic : fidelity, constancy b : sincerity in action, character, and utterance
2
a (1) : the state of being the case : fact (2) : the body of real things, events, and facts : actuality (3) often capitalized : a transcendent fundamental or spiritual reality b : a judgment, proposition, or idea that is true or accepted as true <truths of thermodynamics> c : the body of true statements and propositions
3
a : the property (as of a statement) of being in accord with fact or reality b chiefly British : true c : fidelity to an original or to a standard
4
capitalized Christian Science :god
— in truth
: in accordance with fact : actually
Examples of TRUTH
At some point you have to face the simple truth that we failed.
Their explanation was simpler but came closer to the truth.
The article explains the truth about global warming.
A reporter soon discovered the truth.
Do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Her story contains a grain of truth but also lots of exaggeration.
Origin of TRUTH
Middle English trewthe, from Old English trēowth fidelity; akin to Old English trēowe faithful — more at true
First Known Use: before 12th century
At the moment I’ve torn – between doing more research or simply writing a book on truth, which then gives rise to this question: ‘Should it be about truth or about my truth?’
OK, it’s getting worse - my day, my week has scarcely begun and already I have this job to do: write two books.
Books of truth, like a reference text book, or novels of fiction?
Or both?
Is truth alive, or dying? If it is dying, can it be saved?
More questions another day. As for answers, my quest continues.
~~~
HOLES
I thought they would be
simple and round
but none found ‘round here
unguarded ones
you might fall in to it
the hole you know
that kind in the middle
in the center
like a donut
not shallow
most likely and empty space
and dark
definitely dark
leading somewhere
certainly down
depth
unknown.
~~~
Since starting March 21, 2010, I’ve been writing a poem a day for inclusion with this column - sometimes they are connected to the theme du jour, just as often not. Inspiration comes riding in the window on the breeze .... check out the YEAR OF POETRY: archived poetry
~~~
Mark Kolke
314,516M~~
February 27 - E-SPLAIN IT TO ME - Comments Received
Mark- Let me e-splain something to you. I meet for coffee, lunch, dinner and walks with potential companions weekly. Whether I have any feelings or not I generally give them a hug goodbye. It is not a come on or incongruent. It is merely a cordial and respectful way of saying "thanks for taking the time to meet"...whether or not we clicked. VBL - Englewood, CO
Can't really tell from your story, who rejected whom but here's my e-splaining. It is a lucky thing that she showed her bigotry in the time it takes to drink a coffee. However, can you really know someone in that length of time? I think that the hug might have been her way of saying that, although she didn't like your truths, that you both deserved to walk away with dignity, CG, Oakville, ON
