Fact Versus Truth

Our society has misunderstood the meanings of fact versus truth.  Contrary to popular belief, they are not the same thing.  Fact is something which can be demonstrated and proven with tests, experiments, and research, while truth cannot be confirmed or denied with the same methods of verification.  Fact is by definition a separation, a distinction, which is a creation of the ego, which is separation itself.  The ego, like intelligence, is differentiation, separation, and is therfore not whole.  God, Love, Truth, the Oneness of All is always whole, and can never produce that which is not whole.  What is divided produces further division.  What is whole produces what is whole.  Truth is One.  Fact is the many, the differentiated, the material.  Fact is that which is not Truth, as it is divided. Truth is never divided, but always whole.

There is an aversion in our society to the word “myth” because we believe this means a story is untrue.  That is not at all the case.  Myths, from Ancient Greece such as the “Iliad” and “Odyssey” of Homer, to the the modern ”Star Wars” of George Lucas, are very much true in that they are reflective of Truth, even though not factually correct.  The confusion between fact and Truth is one of the biggest misunderstandings in our modern fact-obsessed society.  Unlike our ancestors before us, we have lost touch with the value of myth, and believe for a story to be “true” it must be factually correct.

A true story need not be factually correct to convey truth, and nor is truth necessarily conveyed within a factually correct story.  Even if a story is not factually correct, such as the story of Romeo and Juliet, it’s power and truth is not necessarily lessened, as some would believe.   True stories speak to universal truths all of humanity can recognize such as life and death, rebirth, suffering, and triumph over hardship.  That has nothing to do with whether or not a story is factually correct.

Would it not be more beneficial for humanity to view religious myth for what it is – poetic metaphors… stories such as “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings,” and “Harry Potter,” which illustrate universal truths within humanity instead of stories to be believed in as literal fact? Stories such as “Star Wars” do not create wars with rival fans of “Harry Potter.”  Why is this?  Because everyone knows these stories are mythical and symbolic, not to be taken as literally, and while one may be a fan of one or both, everyone knows it is not worth killing each other because we may have disagreements about which story is “true.”  All are true.  None are factual…

Read more in “The Book”

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