The truth might not be out there

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JOHN Jacques (1827 – 1900), a hymn writer and missionary, in his poem said:

“Yes, say, what is truth?” Tis the brightest prize

To which mortals or Gods can aspire;

Go search in the depths where it glittering lies

Or ascend in pursuit to the loftiest skies.

‘Tis an aim for the noblest desire.

Jacques’ poem is four flowery stanzas long and in summary he declared that truth is the most sublime of the sublimes. It is eternal and enduring. It is nothing short of a direct visa to heaven. Hence we have such sayings as ‘honesty is the best policy’, ‘the truth will set you free’, ‘truth will out’, etc.

However, I wonder whether I am just getting more cynical as I grow older (and hence have lost my childlike gullibility) or is it just plain old reality, much of what I see and hear around us seems to be at variance with the above pious sayings.

For a start, in many circumstances the truth will not set you free. In fact the opposite may just happen. The speaker of truth may very well find himself pilloried and threatened with legal and actual violence.

Of course, there is much talk about ‘truth’ these days. This is particularly so in Malaysia as the country is winding up towards its general elections. The prelude to that momentous event is regarded by many as the silly season, and no wonder. This is the time when extravagant promises are made and claims about one’s political opponents’ misdemeanours morphed from innuendos to outright defamation.

Unfortunately, the powers that be are mulling so inordinately long over when to call for the polls and the suspense is killing us. In the meantime we are absolutely punched drunk by the constant barrage of … propaganda unleashed from both sides of the political divide. And we are left bemused and I can empathise with John Jacques when he asked, “Yes, say, what is the truth?”

In the ‘good/bad old days’ (depends on your point of view), it was simple enough. What was carried in the mainstream media must be true. Never mind if the government of the day tries its levelled best to ensure that this media carries only one side of a many-sided story. Since it was the only source of dissemination of news, we just had to swallow what was served.

Alternatively, we had to depend on rumours. A newspaper owner (who else?) once said, “If it is not carried in the news then it is just rumour.” You know how much trust we can put in rumours. So there.

At this juncture I am reminded of a 19th-century poem by John Godfrey Saxe (1816-1887): ‘The blind men and the elephant’. It was based on much older stories from India and elsewhere. It was about the predicament of six blind men who chanced upon an elephant. Each one managed to touch only one part of the beast and insisted on his subjective view as to the description of the animal. So the elephant was declared to be like a rope, a fan, a tree trunk, a snake, wall, and a spear. I digress.

Anyway the ‘good/bad old days’ of a single monopolistic dispenser of information is gone. Yes, it is gone with the wind. It is being challenged by something ethereal, intangible and virtual – the Internet. It is as if the six blind men were suddenly equipped with sight. They can see that their former view was merely a part of the whole. Of course, all governments that have pretension to be the sole dispenser of the truth try their best to control the Internet. Well, it is as easy (or as difficult) as trying to control the wind.

One may be tempted to swallow whole the slogan of the American science fiction drama television series, ‘The X-Files’. It suggested,  “The truth is out there.” Well, not quite. The alternative views (and volumes of them) may be out there but they contain as much chaff as they do wheat. I am afraid we still have to depend on our common sense (which many believe to be not that common) to sort them out.

Someone once said, “Truth or lie depends on the belief and motive of the perceiver.” And I may add “… depends also on the purveyor.” Ultimately, “The truth is not out there,” rather it resides deep in the hearts of each of us. However, it is not possible to fathom the heart of man. That is privy only between oneself and one’s creator, by whatever name you may choose to call Him.