Have you ever had the urge to scream at someone the famous line from the movie, “A Few Good Men”… “You can’t handle the truth!” Come on, you know you have. At some point, some one has said something to you and it has crossed your mind.
Do you have children? Do you know children? Have you ever asked them to tell you what happened and then added the phrase, “and tell the truth?” What do you get? Do you really get the “the truth?” Let’s be honest. Did your parents (or any adult for that matter ever say to you at any point in your life something to the effect – there are three sides to every story – your side, their side and the truth? Why is that? Because when we ask someone to tell us “what happened” or “what is going on” or anything to that effect, we don’t necessarily get a “lie” we just get their perception, version or memory or how they interpreted the whole “thing.” Is that wrong? Depends. In the middle of it all lies “the truth.”
The big thing as of late is relative truth and absolute truth. Really? I could go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on about this topic. But I am not. Let’s just cut to the quick of the matter. Absolute truth is just that – truth that is absolute. It is the same for everyone in all instances despite the circumstances… it is the truth regardless. Relative truth; however, can vary. What may be true for you may not be true for me. What may be true in this situation may not be true in that situation… its all relative. You guessed it… the world loves relative truth. And… here’s the big thing, it is becoming more and more accepted as absolute truth because its relative to people thats an absolute fact.
We also have I feel it truth; I believe it truth; I said so truth; who cares about the truth and so on. Let’s stop for a second. All of these so called “truths” are confusing. Why? Because people are confusing. There is the problem. People. We confuse perception – feelings – moods – others – and let’s be honest, ignorance – for truth. What is that saying someone close to me used to always say, ‘Just because you don’t like it doesn’t make not true.’
Being bi-polar (or as I am referring to it as my relative truth now – emotionally actioned packed EAP) being EAP – rapid cycling – I cannot rely on relative truth. Think about it. If I based my truth on my perception – think of what my world would be like? What a ride! And all I can say to everyone around me is, there is no hope for you.
Maybe, just maybe, that is part of the problem. So many do. Defense lawyers certainly can spin a case. The sad part is it is very convincing. In a world full of folks who believe their perception is reality – and that reality creates truth – there is no wonder sooooooo many people get away with things they know are wrong. There is no wonder why the social stigma associated with mental illness is what it is. Doctors can convince with a mere suggestion that one is (you fill in the blank) and all of a sudden the absolute truth which is maybe you are stressed or tired or need a vacation or just merely surrounded by assholes becomes you have a full-fledged mental illness you knew before. Top it off with a bunch of medication and your relative truth is now something totally different. They have altered your brain with the perception of a truth that was nothing more than a relative bowel movement. Whereas those who live with the absolute truth of a real struggle (chemical, physical, psychological) are merely a casualty of a relative definition that changes based on the needs of a society with no truth.
Its sad really.
I know my relative and absolute truth. I take comfort that my support network helps me in times when my perception is skewed and I may not always see things the way they are. But I never lose the truth. Ever. There’s a secret.
When I was very small, the first Bible verse I ever learned was John 8:32. “Ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free.” My whole life I have clung to that verse. I have read it, said it, written it, shared it, found it in every Bible I ever picked up. At first, I always believed it meant only that we should know God’s Word – learn it, know it and live by it and thru it, we will be free. The Word does tell us how to be free. How liberating! What a promise!
As I grew and the more I cling to that verse, the more I believe there is more to that verse than just THAT. Maybe its my “relative truth.” John 1:1-2 reads, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God. And He was with God.” Who is Him? Later, in John 14, verse 6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” And finally, there is John 17:2 -“Santify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (uh, that was Jesus praying to God.)
Jesus is my truth. When my perception is upside down and sideways; when I may have a little bit of hallucinations; when the world’s relative truth just isn’t quite right; when I know the absolute answer in my heart; when there is doubt; when I need somewhere to turn – I kneel. If someone asks me – Do you know the truth? I can beyond a shadow of a doubt respond – Yes, yes I do. I am not afraid when some bully screams, “You can’t handle the truth.” inside, I laugh. The real truth is, they have no clue.
The truth is and has always been I may be bent but I am not broken. My God knew me from the moment He created me. The Holy Spirit never leaves me and Jesus lives in my heart. THAT is an absolute truth I can – and so can you – always rely on… no matter what.
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