What is Truth?

If I said something yesterday, something that was recorded in either a digital or analogue medium, and then denied that I said this today, am I a liar?

If five people witness an accident, and all give a slightly different account of the accident, who is telling the truth?

In our recent history, the story of WW11 told by the British and the Germans will be different.

In our current history, the causation of a virus is being told by several global actors, each story different. We might examine the deeper reasons behind their desire for their stories to be the ‘truthful’ ones.

Truth is complex because each human observes and experiences events through the lens of their own worldview. If my world view is that modern slavery is acceptable, that it is absolutely reasonable to pay my workers as low a wage as possible while I make $11,000 per second, my truth is I see humans as cogs in my machine, serving my purpose and not having any meaning other than that.

This does not mean that we step over the actors who thrive through exploitation, colonisation, narcissism.

But to solve complex problems, to create new models and maps and mindsets, means we need to begin with a deep consideration of the transcontextual nature of things.

We need to step out of our siloed thinking, to ask deeper harder questions, to listen to many perspectives, to invite different stories.

In order to do this really well, we need to suspend, even if temporarily, our own opinion, and be truly willing to have our opinion change in the listening and experiencing.

To be able to do this….to show up open to…might be aided if the purpose and intention behind our willingness is for something far greater than our own self-interest.

Given that there are few political actors willing or able to do this then it is up to us, we the people, to lead.

This is hard work, worthy work, aided by generosity of mind and spirit towards a world that works for all. It is the Pattern Integrity of Syntropic Enterprise.

May 4th 2020

Photo taken May 4th, 2020