Much of our people problems at home and at work come from the common mistake that we can know not only the truth, but the whole truth … and nothing but. We can’t—and that’s why I can’t imagine being selected for a jury. How could anyone take the oath “I solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth .. so help me God,” when the most anyone can do is promise not to wilfully lie or withhold information. A narrow view of the truth There's so much more that we can't see. There's so much more that we can't see. Our early education is designed to have us accept certain narratives as absolute truth. Truth itself—what is it and how can we know it—is never really discussed; at least not any deeper than "it's in the …show more content…
Don’t question the parent, teacher, priest, boss etc., just accept it as true. The truth is like an elephant What the hell is this thing? What the hell is this thing? It’s way too big for any one of us to know absolutely, especially not on a first cut. The truth is like the parable of the blind men encountering an elephant for the first time with each only able to touch a part of it; one a tusk, one the trunk, one the tail etc. Imagine the arguments they would have if each believed that their experience alone represented not only the truth, but the whole truth. By contrast, imagine the excited conversation if they knew their experience represented only a piece of a larger truth. They would seek each other’s experience out like pieces to an amazing jig saw puzzle. Why isn't life is not like that? THE truth explains much of human conflict Single stories held as THE truth explain much of human conflict—at home, at work, and across borders—because it fosters mistrust and judgment.human conflict If you don’t agree then there’s something wrong (or worse) with you because I know THE truth—and by extension the WHOLE truth—which means if you say something different, we can’t trust you and we can’t include you. We’ll have you fired, locked up or