WHAT IS TRUTH? THE FRAGILE ILLUSION OF MORALITY, GOOD, AND EVIL

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If morality is shaped by power, does that mean justice is merely a construct of those in control?


We have different truths. What you consider a lie might be the only thing that has ever kept me alive, and what I consider to be true might be a lie to you. The world is not as it is; rather, it is as we have experienced it. All of our beliefs are a patchwork of our experiences, pieced together by memory, reshaped by time, and warped by necessity. Subjective or objective, truth is never straightforward. If it exists at all, it is merely a flimsy delusion that we hold onto, persuading ourselves that what we perceive is true and that our emotions are warranted.

However, truth is not an independent entity; it is burdened by consequences and the ruthless indifference of reality. Is a father a criminal or someone in need if he steals to feed his hungry child? When a soldier kills for his country, is he a murderer or a hero? A liar who saves—a liar or a savior? This is how human behavior can be morally ambiguous. Similar to how morality bends and breaks under the weight of context, the same act changes shape when viewed from various perspectives. Who makes the decision? The law? The observer? The victor? Or the one left to mourn?

It is often claimed that good and evil are absolutes, but such absolutes can comfort those who have never faced a choice. A man who kills in self-defense may escape judgment, while a woman in the same situation often faces scrutiny. A liar who tells us what we want to hear receives praise, whereas an honest person who challenges our beliefs is silenced. If morality is genuinely universal, why does it change based on history, culture, and the interests of the privileged?

We like to see ourselves as truth-seekers, but are we really? Or are we just wanderers looking for something that won't ruin our world? Maybe we fear the truths that would challenge everything we thought was true more than we fear lies. Since truth is always being reshaped to fit the world we can inhabit, it is not something we find. This reflects the nature of perception and truth: constantly changing, debatable, and subjective.

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