Member-only story
It Is Important That We Welcome The Multi-Truth
It may not be convenient, but that hardly makes it any less valid or relevant
The main problem I have with the truth is that it demands the definite article and frequently hides from the plural form. It’s always “the” truth and we don’t ever tell a couple of “truths”, only the one.
I am aware that different languages operate in different ways but the concept of one truth, one light, one path is sadly a universal one. It seeps through the culture, it casts a shadow over everything we do. We can’t escape from it, and so we think of the truth in singular.
Indeed, it would be very convenient if there were one truth. Particularly if it were our truth. Otherwise, it gets messy. It is tempting to think that societies need a one-truth approach. After all, it is the foundation of civilisation: we come together on these shared principles, in which we believe firmly and which we will respect. Universal truth unites us against them. However, I think the global world has a different idea.
Once cultures and civilisations started mixing up, the one-truth view became rapidly obsolete. If you have ever lived abroad, you have probably encountered this type of problem: suddenly, something you take for granted is simply not done or accepted by the…