Hi, this week we have been ruminating about truth.
I hope you've enjoyed it. We've seen that truth
gives us something solid to stand on. That it
is not something forced on us, but something
we can discover. We've seen that truth can surprise
us. That it depends on where we start. And that
over time, even our thinking can change. And
all of that leads me to a question that I just
love to ask. where does truth come from? Is truth
something we create or something we discover?
Because the more I think about math, the more
it feels like we are uncovering something that
was already there, not inventing it, but finding
it. That is a, quote, light bulb turn on moment
for me. Because if truth is something we discover,
then it does not need to be forced. It does not
need to be protected by arguments that we have
not fully examined or held together by reasoning
that circles back on itself. It can stand. And
we're free to explore it. And sometimes what
we find stretches us, even to the point where
two things can feel true at the same time, like
a paradox. Math is full of moments like this.
For example, there are infinitely many rational
numbers. Numbers like 1 half, 3 fourths, 5 sixths.
And yet, compared to all numbers, including the
irrational numbers, they make up almost nothing
in size. Ha! Infinitely many and yet almost nothing
at the same time. It does not seem like it should
make sense. And yet, it does. I find the same
surprise in life. Clearly, we live in a world
where things do not always seem to fit together.
We see beauty, and we see brokenness. We see
kindness, and we see cruelty. We see hope, and
we see pain. And sometimes it feels like we have
to choose, like one must cancel the other. But
what if truth is deeper than that? What if it
is big enough to hold tension? Big enough to
hold complexity? Big enough to hold both what
is broken and what is beautiful? And what if
the source of truth is not cold or distant, but
something that draws us in, something that invites
us to keep asking, keep searching, keep discovering.
Because the more I experience truth this way,
the less it feels like something I have to defend,
and the more it feels like something I can trust.
Not because I figured everything out, but because
I've seen enough just to keep going. So my question
to complete our week is, what if truth is not
something to fear, but a light that draws us
near? And the truth is, I sincerely appreciate
that you are listening. This is Intersecting
Us.