I finished The Death of Truth by Michiko Kakutani today. It is a brilliant, very accessible, and well-documented critique of the history and current state of Truth in our country. Kakutani discusses the postmodern dawn mid-century that heralded the questioning of truth full-force – birthing the rise of cynicism and alternative facts. Basically stated, there is no absolute truth. Truth is created or observed by our individual perception. The new era opened the door to today’s deception run rampant in our century.
While reading, I became patently aware that I had just published Blood Draw, a novel focused on lies and deceptions. Good people lie. Bad people tell the truth. Unspoken secrets erode the characters’ inner lives. Or not. In the case of Peter, deceptions feed him robustly. Pilate stated millennia ago: What is truth?
About some things, there is truth. Science generally establishes a proven category of truth. However, even here, the observer influences the outcome!
Integrity is based on a person being truthful. Living according to our truth. Yet, sociopaths such as Peter do live according to their truth. Kakutani speaks of the Schadenfreude of Trolls. People who get pleasure from the pain they inflict on others.
What is a “good woman?” What is a “good man?” Today, John McCain evokes the image of a good man. Mother Teresa was a good woman. Most agree. For me, truth is the stirring of my heart and ready tears to my eyes that confirm “Yes, they are a good person.”
It seems that trusting my heart and trusting my intuition verifies fo me when someone has integrity and is true. Peter clearly lacks integrity. What color is truth? Black, white, or grey? In my quest to unify the opposites, truth is all the colors of the rainbow. Plus black, white, and grey.
May we live our Truth, walk in integrity, and honor John McCain.
August 31 2018