But What Is Truth? By Ben Jeapes
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
I was at a charity event surrounded by a lot of vulnerable adults, and I saw that one person was essentially imposing their will on another, who was plainly uncomfortable with it but did not have the capacity to respond. Nothing illegal, but nonetheless – in my layman’s opinion – abusive.
I reported this, and was asked to write a statement. No problem, I thought; I can write! So I set to …
… and then I had to pause and think.
I won’t deny that I had already taken an active dislike to the perpetrator on the grounds of general obnoxiousness (theirs). But I had to ask myself, did I actually see that, or was my mind filling in the blanks? Did I just want this to be true?
In the end, I had to rein it in … a bit. I simply couldn’t put hand on heart and say I had seen what I remembered seeing. So, I stuck to what I absolutely knew, the bits that still made it through the filter of questioning and verifying, and which could be confirmed by others. To cut a long story short, it was upheld and action was taken.
That was one memory, being written down within 48 hours of the event. A memory so vivid yet that almost immediately became fuzzy without my even noticing.
I do not hold with the idea of “This is my truth, that is yours, and they’re all equally valid.” Perceptions may vary, but there is always one single, objective truth. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s known only to God. So, how do we write about a truth we can only catch glimpses of?
Well, we can convey impressions and let them do the speaking. Biblical writers knew this. Scientists can give pretty accurate figures for the size and age of the Universe, and the result is to fill us with awe and wonder. The biblical writers couldn't have done this so they used imagery – say, Psalm 8.3-4 – and the result is to fill us with awe and wonder. Net result, identical.
How does the man in the Song of Solomon praise the beauty of his beloved? He compares her hair to a flock of goats. Woof!
And the world that awaits us after Christ’s return is so mind-blowing that it can only be described in word pictures.
Using poetry and metaphor to convey non-specific impressions when the words don’t work is perfectly okay and much more memorable. Except when writing abuse reports. Then, precision matters.
Ben Jeapes took up writing in the mistaken belief that it would be easier than a real job (it isn’t). Hence, as well as being the author of eight novels and co-author of many more, he has also been a journal editor, book publisher, and technical writer. His most recent title is a children’s biography of Ada Lovelace. www.benjeapes.com
I reported this, and was asked to write a statement. No problem, I thought; I can write! So I set to …
… and then I had to pause and think.
I won’t deny that I had already taken an active dislike to the perpetrator on the grounds of general obnoxiousness (theirs). But I had to ask myself, did I actually see that, or was my mind filling in the blanks? Did I just want this to be true?
In the end, I had to rein it in … a bit. I simply couldn’t put hand on heart and say I had seen what I remembered seeing. So, I stuck to what I absolutely knew, the bits that still made it through the filter of questioning and verifying, and which could be confirmed by others. To cut a long story short, it was upheld and action was taken.
That was one memory, being written down within 48 hours of the event. A memory so vivid yet that almost immediately became fuzzy without my even noticing.
I do not hold with the idea of “This is my truth, that is yours, and they’re all equally valid.” Perceptions may vary, but there is always one single, objective truth. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s known only to God. So, how do we write about a truth we can only catch glimpses of?
Well, we can convey impressions and let them do the speaking. Biblical writers knew this. Scientists can give pretty accurate figures for the size and age of the Universe, and the result is to fill us with awe and wonder. The biblical writers couldn't have done this so they used imagery – say, Psalm 8.3-4 – and the result is to fill us with awe and wonder. Net result, identical.
How does the man in the Song of Solomon praise the beauty of his beloved? He compares her hair to a flock of goats. Woof!
And the world that awaits us after Christ’s return is so mind-blowing that it can only be described in word pictures.
Using poetry and metaphor to convey non-specific impressions when the words don’t work is perfectly okay and much more memorable. Except when writing abuse reports. Then, precision matters.
Great blog, Ben. It is strange how our minds can skew things, which is why it's always best to stay factual and non-judgemental. Abuse at any level needs stomping out and the culprits need educating and maybe even a little support.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting. I did a free online course about eye witness statements, and it was definitely eye opening!
ReplyDeleteVery lovely post, Ben. Thanks. I heard it some where that 'Truth' is an abstract term. Judging from people's different perspectives, the truth is always not one idea about something. Only God knows what is true but tells us that whatever is pure, good etc, we should think on those lines. There have been times that I have decided against writing reports because my memory became fuzzy. I love the biblical descriptions of abstract concepts using poetry and metaphor to capture memory that never becomes fuzzy but enrapts us in its awesomness. Thanks for the scriptural examples and quotes used. Blessings.
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