What is truth? I asked Al that question and here is her answer: "In daily life, we often think of truth as honesty-speaking what we believe to be real, without deception." Which was quite interesting since Al also stated that: "Correspondence theory: Truth is what matches reality. A statement is true if it reflects the way things actually are. Coherence theory: Truth is what fits consistently within a larger system of beliefs or knowledge. Pragmatic theory: Truth is what works-what proves useful, reliable, and effective in practice."
I have been wrestling with the question of truth. I think when I was younger, it seemed like I had a very clear 'black and white' thinking about truth, but as I am getting older, I recognize that my truth is based on what knowledge I have about a specific situation. But that can become a slippery slope when we think about the political climates we have come through in the last 30 years. Truth has been manipulated and twisted, and it can become difficult to find the simple truth.
So perhaps the deeper question is 'what is my moral compass?' What really matters in the end? Because what I think of as true today might change tomorrow when I learn new things about it. Or I might change what I considered truth because the majority changed, or I might just pretend the truth is true because it works for now. Wow, then the bigger questions become what is truth and what is my compass to find my true north?
There is a Scripture in Proverbs 18 "The first speech in a court case is always convincing - until the cross-examination starts!" (the Message).
As Al is infiltrating our world, you and I need to ensure that we have a compass that remains constant. We need to make sure that we know what truth is, even while being flexible and open to continuous learning.