[font="times new roman"] It cannot be seen, yet it is sought. It cannot be tasted, yet it has filled the mouths of many. It cannot touch, yet it has injured a number of hearts. It is a universal concept practiced and experienced daily--it is truth. However, since it contains numerous variations, is truth ever known or does it simply not exist?[/font]
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[font="times new roman"] On a calm, sunny day a street basketball player does his daily routine: shooting hoops at the public fenced-in basketball courts. Then, eying his two friends walking across the street, he calls them over. As they reminisce and joke around someone suddenly turns their smiles into frowns— the police. Holding the friends at gun-point, the policemen thrust them against the fence, leaving no room for any sudden movement.[/font]
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[font="times new roman"] “Here we go again,”thinks the basketball player. “Another day of police brutality in the poor, black neighborhoods.”[/font]
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[font="times new roman"] A few moments earlier a fifty-five-year-old businessman calmly strolls to work with a briefcase and dressed to impress. However, his calm demeanor is suddenly interrupted as a couple of young men, wildly running the streets, knock him down. With papers flying, the angered man glares intensely at the backs of the men who have moved on to ruin another hard worker's morning.[/font]
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[font="times new roman"] “These kids these days-- nothing but troublemakers,” he thinks.[/font]
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[font="times new roman"] Earlier in the day a woman on the corner of the street suddenly hears a “BANG!”[/font]
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[font="times new roman"] “Another car broken down,”she says unrattled. Then, as she walks down the block she notices two men coming down the street from the area of the noise. [/font]
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[font="times new roman"] “Hey,” she says, “ you guys need some help with your car? I heard it down the street. My dad is a mechanic so I can definitely tell by now when a car needs some help.”[/font]
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[font="times new roman"] “Oh, no thanks. The car'll be fine for now,” rushes one of the men. “We're actually kinda late for somethin', but thanks!” As the two men sprint from the scene the woman seems puzzled. The men had left their car![/font]
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[font="times new roman"] Had the street basketball player, woman, and businessman not held bias and assumptions their perception of the events would have been different. If the woman, accustomed to the sound of a broken down car, had not been as used to the sounds, she would have recognized the “bang” as a gunshot; if the older businessman had not been older of had such bad experiences with young people he may have forgiven them; if the basketball player had not witnessed countless amounts of police brutality in his poor neighborhood, he may not have let the past or his anger cloud his judgment. He could have opened his eyes a little more, seeing the gun in his friend's back pocket and recognizing them as equal to the criminals that have been invading his streets. Each story is related. The unrecognized gunshot was fired by one of the two men an alley. Then, they ran wildly through the streets, bumping into pedestrians along the way. When they thought all was clear the men calmly walked toward their streetball playing friend as if nothing mischievous had occurred.[/font]
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[font="times new roman"] The truth was no broken down car or police brutality existed. Because they did not witness every aspect of the incident or know about them, their conclusion was their truth--their perception of events. Therefore, truth does exist. However, everyone's truth is different. It is perception and bias that prevent the actual truth from revealing itself. As a result, truth may never be known, and if it is revealed one may reject it or doubt its credibility. The truth is that that is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but--or is it? Can you handle that?[/font]