The saying ‘get real’ is open to debate. Truth and reality are tenuous assertations. One person’s reality is another person’s florid hallucination – and each can accuse the other of being wrong.
Every antagonist waging war states that they fight for the truth as they see it. Can they all be right? Of course they can! After all, god is on all their sides. Although I actually feel sorry for god sometimes because he/she often ends up as the ultimate pawn in the chess game of conflict… White moves their god across to the edge, trapping the Black king. Checkmate!
Absolute truth and therefore absolute reality is more a mathematical concept, but even current accepted tenets could at some future stage be open to interpretation. For example: The earth goes around the sun – true. The universe is expanding – true, at the moment anyway. The universe is as its name suggests – singular….well, there’s these other multiverse theories floating around….
The speed of light is a universal constant – ah, so it was thought, except some scientists now think it varies according to the nature of the vacuum of space. The Big Bang?.... We’ll get back to you on that!
The search for truth and a reality one can deal with is crucial to our mental, physical and social wellbeing. An agreed parameter of truths helps to keep society from descending into an unworkable chaos of self-centredness at everyone else’s expense.
That old ‘Do Unto Others’ exhortation is something even this cynical eccentric me can bide by, although I would paraphrase it as “Live and Let Live.” Let’s give each other a bit of slack to follow life as we understand it.
My only caveat to that statement is to also respect each others' values and beliefs – or lack of them – even if you’re itching to inform a person that, in your own humble opinion, they are going to hell in a hand-basket if they don’t immediately adhere to your belief system.
Yes, all you genuinely well-meaning proselytisers – I mean you! I really hate having to stop you in mid sentence at my front door, although I always thank you for your concern for my eternal soul and hope you have a nice day.
After all, there is no excuse for rudeness.
Pilate, that iconic biblical baddie, articulated the basic human conundrum “What is truth?” – a question asked by each successive generation throughout the ages. I suspect its definition will never be clarified to everyone’s satisfaction. Truth is an idealistic human concept rather than a statement of fact.
The actual answer may be this simple: It’s whatever you perceive it to be.
And that’s the truth, people!