The Truth

**This is an essay I wrote for a practical exam and it turned into something I did for fun rather than for a school project...even though I still handed it in. Also note that this essay is not a reflection of my personal opinion in its entirety.**


What is truth? The Intermediate English Dictionary tells us it is, "That which is true". Oxford says truth is, "Something that is true". and the Senior Dictionary of Canadian English sees truth as, "That which is in accordance with the fact or facts". These definitions fail to answer the previously stated question of, 'What is truth?' and leave us with more questions as, 'What is fact?' and, 'If truth is that which is true, what is true?'. The truth is--isn't this ironic?--there is no real definition of truth or fact, because truth is a matter of opinion, and changes with respect to different perspectives. No one was there, 'In the Beginning' and so no one can say how modern life came to be due to the fact that there is no complete, one-hundred percent factual evidence, and so each individual born on this earth must always choose a belief according to their own respected opinion. How does one attain his or her opinion? There are many factors which can effect opinion, three more important factors being where the person was raised and who raised them, where the individual lives as an adult and what their government may or may not enforce as truth, and finally, where a person draws the line for reality.

It is said that a person is most impressionable as a child. If this is true, then whatever their parents teach them, and whatever culture or environment they are raised in, will be the largest influence on their opinion of truth later on in life. Of course, one's opinion of truth must agree with the latter statement in order to agree with the former. However when we observe children such as Piscine Molitor Patel in the book, Life of Pi, we see several instances during which this statement is indeed proven true. The first and most obvious of these is Pi's lessons from his father about animals. Sometimes Pi tells us directly that his father taught him something, and other times it is implied, such as the time Pi talks about zoos and people confusing them with captivity: "Well-meaning but misinformed people htink animals in the wild are, 'happy' because they are, 'free'".(16) Pi goes on to argue that this is not the case, and his argument is quite convincing. It influences one's opinion of truth on the subject. Pi has either drawn the conclusions himself, or--more than likely--has been told so by his father at a young age in response to a question such as, 'Daddy, wouldn't the animals be happier if they were free?'. The second example of Pi's influence from his father is the lesson received concerning the horrible danger of putting your hand in a tiger's cage: "'Tigers are very dangerous,' father shouted".(37) Pi believes this to be true because his father told him, and demonstrates his belief when Richard Parker joins him in the lifeboat later on. Finally, the fact that Pi spent the greater part of his childhood in India may have some influence on his curious religious beliefs, simply because I believe religion to be more diverse in that part of the world. (But hey, I'm from Parry Sound; What do I know?)

This leads us to our next point of influential evidence: Where an individual chooses to live their adult life could have a great impact on their opinion of truth. Perhaps the government enforces a certain religion, or perhaps that neighborhood has a vast majority of indiviudals who share a common belief or idea. Whatever the case, even if it is subconscious, most people will find themselves agreeing with the opinions of those around them. This is evident in, Slaughter-House-Five, with Billy constantly talking about the Tralfamadorians and what they believe: "Billy Pilgrim says that the universe does not look like a lot of bright little dots to the creatues from Tralfamadore"(87). Billy was in the company of the Tralfamadorians for an extended period of time, and throughout his life afterwords, and when he went back and relived his life before Tralfamadore, he looked upon everything with a Tralfamadorian outlook. Billy did not, of course, choose to live on Tralfamadore, but nonetheless, his opinion of truth was influenced by Tralfamadorians to such an extent that is changed his outlook and view on life entirely.

Everyone knows that the story of Tralfamadore isn't true, and I'm sure that if Kurt Vonnegut was still alive he would confirm such. The reason for this is that most everyone agrees that the sotry of Tralfamadore crosses the line of reality. There are, however, those who may choose to believe the story--despite the very visible, 'fiction' printed on the spine of the book--beacuse their line of reality extends further than others. For example, Billy's, 'reality line' extends ridiculously far, whereas the Japanese men who interview Pi in, Life of Pi, choose to believe Pi's second story because it doesn't involve tigers or man-eating islands: "He thinks we're fools...Mr. Patel, we don't believe your story...Banannas don't float...you don't really expect us to believe you do you? Carnivorous trees?...These things don't exist...Your island is botanically impossible...No scientist would believe you...We know enough to know the possible from the impossible"(324-328). They have a more, 'realistic' reality line according to popular world view. The two men repeatedly insist that Pi's sotry is not true because of what they have seen in life; they believe what they see. It is their method of drawing the line for reality. Some have faith, some investigate for proof and evidence, some believe what they hear from, 'wise men', and some--like the two Japanese men--choose to, 'believe it when they see it'. Every one has a line which they establish in their own way.

So what is truth? It is a matter of opinion which changes with respect to different perspectives, and this opinion develops through childhood influences, envrionments lived in as an adult, and where a person draws their, 'reality line'. It's true; these are not the only things that influence an individual's opinion of truth, but they are three of the larger influences. Is any of this true? Well, that all depends on one's opinion.

And that, dear reader is the truth.
(according to Isaac James Golle)