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by Lauren Kennedy - http://www.laurenpkennedy.wordpress.com

"Knock. Knock."
" Who’s there?"
" Truth."
" Truth Who?"
" Mine or Yours?"

And there in lies the dilemma. And the source of immense conflict.

We like to think that truth is absolute, explicit, definite, unambiguous and most of all knowable.

But what is truth? Are there universal truths that apply to everyone and everything, at all times, in every situation, rigid and inflexible? How do we know if something is, in fact true?

Following are the dictionary's various definitions of truth.
* "Something that is factual."
* "Something that is generally believed to be true."
* "A fact or concept that is scientifically proven."
* " Conformity to a certain standard or law."
* " Something that corresponds to reality."
* "A religious truth."

But none of these definition unequivocally define a truth.. Instead, they describe the methods that we use to validate a particular truth, or more accurately, a belief..

Each of the methods are fallible and influenced by society, those in power, perception and convenience.

For instance, at one time Europeans generally believed that the world was flat. That was "something that is generally believed to be true." Go too far and you fall of the edge of the earth. Many people thought Christopher Columbus was sailing to his doom.

"A religious truth" was the belief that the sun revolved around the earth. Anyone who dared to disagree was subject to prosecution. So that definition also is fallible.

How about "conformity to a certain standard or law"? At one point in time, the standard and law in the south was that slavery was acceptable and many people conformed to the belief that slaves were little more that animals. In time our laws matured enough to condemn slavery. Unfortunately, some people have been slow to adopt a spiritual perception of different but equal.

Let's look at those" things that corresponds to reality." At one point in time people believed that their own misfortune was the result of their neighbor, the witch. They were so certain of this reality that they eagerly sent one neighbor after another to the pyre without a second thought or moment of remorse. Conviction after conviction, sentence after sentence was carried out with no evidence, only someone's claim that their own misfortune must have been caused by a witch, and then they pointed the finger at someone they knew.

We may not burn witches at the stake, but we can still seek revenge as a way to ease the pain or react with fear to control something that we find threatening.

Even scientist have had to revise the "facts that they thought had been scientifically proven." When I was in grade school, I asked the teacher how long ago South American and Africa were joined together. She told me I had an over active imagination. Continents were way too large and heavy to move.

It always amazed me that scientists, could categorically reject the obvious based on their inability to explain it. Everyday scientists are discovering new information that dispels some of their most dearly held convictions.

Misleading is Untruthful

Another problem with facts as truth is this. If I chose, I could recount a situation or incident to you, giving you the facts, never uttering a false word, and still lead you to an mistaken conclusion. Now, consider the public relations advisers, the spin professionals, who aren't concerned if a minor untruth slips in now and again. They can have you skipping down the Yellow Brick Road ready to ambush the Big Bad witch with nothing but the the shiny ruby red shoes they sold you to put on your feet.

Many people still hold to the concept that reality is what you can see, hear, taste, smell or touch. If it doesn't register with one of our five senses, it doesn't exist. This is amazing in the era of atom bashing and quark detection (subatomic particles that scientist can't even s