WHY IS TRUTH SO BITTER

The word “truth” has been given different meaning and different applications by different people, being influenced by their background such as culture, religion, environment, etc. But despite the different views, the meaning is narrowed towards one thing, something that is true or something that is not false. A careful analysis of the different meaning of truth shows that some people adjust the meaning to suit their interest, such that what Mr. A regard as the truth may be regarded as false by Mr. B. For example while some people cherish Christmas as a true Christian celebration, some other people who also profess to be Christians regard the celebration as a false Christian ceremony. While some people regard the police as a necessary organization in the society for the maintenance of law and order, some others regard it as an agent of oppression of the rulers and therefore not necessary; that is why one popular musician played a music in which he was encouraging people to kill police (though he was arrested and his music was banned). The big question now is what is the truth? Why is truth so bitter?

Frankly speaking, truth is one, despite the various views and beliefs, either 1+1=2 or 1+1=2; nothing else can be the true answer except 2. So when Mr. A said the answer is 2, Mr. B said the answer is 3, while Mr. C insists that the answer is 1¹/₂, each person has a good reason for the answer given. Mr. A just added 1 to 1, to get 2; Mr. B added 1 to 1, and also added 1 again ,thus giving him 3 as the answer. He may have added the extra 1 either by mistake or deliberately for a reason best known to him. Mr. C may have attended a Mathematics class when fraction is discussed and he found out that numbers can be related by the use of fraction. He feels that the answer can be expressed in the form of a fraction, thus he opted for 1¹/₂ as his answer, even though he is not good in calculations, he insists that his answer is correct, based on the little knowledge he acquired in the Mathematics class.

Miss A, Madam A and Chief A have so much respect for Mr. A and believe that his answer is correct. Also Miss B, Madam B and Chief B regard Mr. B as a well experienced man who always say the truth; while Miss C, Madam C and Chief C are aware that Mr. C is a graduate (of psychology), being a well-educated man and therefore will always be right in any answer he gives. When Chief B heard that Madam C is supporting the answer Mr. C has given, he accused her of suffering from inferiority complex by accepting the answer Mr. C has given, just because he is a graduate. Chief B had known Mr. B for years as a truthful person who will always stand on the truth. As Madam A is observing the unfolding drama, she asked herself this simple question, “Why is Chief B and Madam C having misunderstanding despite each of them being wrong?”

From the above scenario, it is worthy to note that someone can be insisting that he is saying the truth, while the reverse is the case; when you want to clarify the person, he may become bitter. So the ultimate question is “why is truth so bitter?”