it's a fact

 The trouble with history is you don't have all the facts. It is often said that history is written by the victors, and you can't argue with that. That is indeed the case. I'm thinking about a more personal history however, the history of our families. I've been working on the family tree for years gathering photographs and facts. A task that is becoming increasingly difficult. Today we have to be aware of photoshop that may have altered those photographs. Facts are also becoming unreliable. Consider the possibilities in the future. What gender were you assigned at birth? Right now, at this very moment, fourteen states allow for a non-binary birth certificate. It's called a gender" X" on the birth certificate. The child can later decide on what they want to identify themselves as, the biology doesn't matter. Talk about having the facts confused!

 It's a growing trend today, the rewriting of history based on dubious facts and discoveries. Science is playing an increasing role in this but is the science correct? Well, we are being urged to trust the science. The thing about science however is its very nature is in questioning everything. Do we really have all the facts. You have to say no as new discoveries are made almost daily. Things aren't what we thought them to be. But each generation believes they have the answers. If those answers differ from the previous it is because we have made progress, never have we made an error until the next generation comes along. Then new "facts" are discovered and proven. The reason is a basic one, we don't have all the facts. Truth is, we will never have all the facts.

 That became very clear to me as I was working on my family tree. Finding the facts, the who, what, where, when, and why of those ancestors is a never-ending search. I have tried to create a sort of biography for many of those folks in my past. Mostly though I end up with more questions. I really want to know all the facts. As it turns out there is only one person I know all the facts about, that person is me. And the truth is I am unwilling to share all the facts, some things I just keep to myself. With some things I attempt to fool myself by seeking justification for whatever action I took at that time. 

  Is fact the truth? Well, there is no correct answer to that is there? Fact is objective in nature, based on an objective examination of the evidence. Truth can be subjective; it all depends upon the individuals view of the evidence. We all tend to adopt whichever view suits the situation. When the facts don't fit our desires, we revert to the "truth." When the truth is beneficial to us, we declare that as a fact! See how that works. Facts are subject to change; the truth is not. How often do you change the truth? It's a bit of a quandary isn't it. You have to determine the truth before you establish the fact. But the truth is subjective. We call that changing our mind. In the Christian tradition Jesus says, I am the way, the truth and the Light. He was saying, this is the truth. Faith is adopting that as fact. Is fact and truth the same thing? No, not always. And that, that is a fact.