Merriam-Webster online defines truth as follows: “(1): the state of being the case: FACT (2): the body of real things, events, and facts. In truth: in accordance with fact.”

Those definitions aren’t perfect, but will help us in this discussion of the concept. The word Truth as a philosophical term can be discussed, defined and debated all day.

The truth that I am concerned with is the truth based on facts and evidence. This requires the use of man’s rational ability and the scientific method; to find the most probable truth based on evidence. We will not discuss absolute truths–they are not relevant in this context.

The truth movement started as the 9/11 truth movement. What happened on 9/11 was a tragedy in every sense of the word. Our first goal (as a nation) should have been the truth, but from the beginning it was very obvious that the opposite was the case. Immediately after the buildings crashed, there was a mad dash to cover up all possible evidence of what happened. All the large and noticeable physical evidence was quickly taken away.

After the 9/11 commission failed miserably at investigating the tragedy, it became more obvious that the government had no interest in finding out the truth behind 9/11. This thrusted forth an onslaught of American citizens with great concern about what really happened, and why was the government so concerned with covering up the truth. Thus, the 9/11 truth movement was born.

To clarify, the intent is not to discuss the merits of the case in particular, but to explore the surface of what became the catalyst for the 9/11 truth movement.

At this point, countless videos, organizations, and websites sprouted up everywhere despite the massive suppression of the mainstream media. This also sprouted around the same time the internet was growing exponentially; especially the alternative media and blogging. As the government and media used more lies to cover up past lies, it started to make people wonder what else might the government and media be lying about. The alternative media made it nearly impossible for the mainstream media to feed lies as they always had. The more we researched, the more deception we found. The more we looked around, the more we realized we lived in a world of lies and deceit.

Prior to our findings, we lived in a world where we had come to expect deception, but that’s not what we called it. It was called “white” lies or lies that were used to protect the innocence of others–and somehow this became a virtue. We all thought “lies are OK as long as we don’t hurt anyone.” Personal integrity had very little meaning. As we all know, this is a very slippery slope. And most of us fell down that slope long ago.

Why is the truth important? Truth validates our reality. Why do we know that 2 + 2 = 4? We know this, because it can be validated over and over again amongst our peers. That’s what our rational mind does. It allows us to take evidence that is empirically verified by our peers and we make rational conclusions based upon that evidence.

Why is lying so devastating? It leads to logical contradictions in our thoughts and actions. Additionally, it creates the inability to think clearly and consistently. Truth is vital for a stable and happy society or even for a single happy person. Truth creates a clear reality; despite the possible negative consequences, telling the truth makes the mind consistent and happy. Lies and deception causes chaos in the mind (for a sane person), which leads to a guilt ridden existence where the mind is always at conflict with itself.

-Ezekiel McLeskey

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truth