Winning Words 9/3/10
“The truth is more important than the facts.” (Frank Lloyd Wright) These are some words that cause me to think. Is truth a fact? Is a fact a truth? Some questions just seem to lead to more questions. Sgt. Friday used to say, “Just the facts, maam.” But the facts don’t always tell the whole story. Ultimately, we want to get to the truth of an issue, and that can, at times, goes beyond the facts. “Just the truth, maam!” ;-) Jack

FROM ML IN ILLINOIS: facts can sometimes get in way of truth. FROM JACK: Maybe Sgt Friday should have said, Just the truth, maam."

FROM PRJS IN MICHIGAN: Socrates tells us that the truth is that which corresponds with reality....the facts. The problem with facts is that often we don't have a sufficient number of them to support the conclusion to which we come. So if good old Sgt. Friday gathered a sufficient number of facts, he was zoning in on the truth. FROM JACK: "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?" Robert Browning, (line 97 from Andrea del Sarto, 1855) We should always be reaching for the truth.

FROM DRJH IN OHIO: like it! don't always think the facts come together to reveal truth... but instead are used in isolation - often to conceal truth. FROM JACK: We are a devious people, aren't we? Not always willing to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

FROM RI IN BOSTON: High-minded comments like Mr. Wright's may be used to defend some heavy-handed activity that a person is engaged in. I don't think Mr. Wright ever thought for a moment that he could be Mr. Wrong about his sometimes eccentric behavior. Regarding facts and truth, I'm reminded of the film A Few Good Men where Col. Jessup says, "You can't handle the truth!" Oh yeah? FROM JACK: I thought that you'd like that FLW quote. I, too, have that image of him as never seeing himself as "Mr Wrong." But that doesn't mean that we ARE as others see us.

FROM GOOD DEBT JON: Reminds me of a my favorite Bill Clinton answer when asked directly about something he did. He said, "I'll be able to answer more fully once I know what the facts are." Classic. FROM JACK: Bill is the "consummate" politician. Since we never know all of the facts, we never get all of the truth. Blah, blah, blah. But that doesn't mean that we, like Diogenes, should stop searching.

FROM RG IN MICHIGAN: For me, the awareness of what is "real" from what is "True" seems even more significant. I'm not sure if there are any "facts" at all ... they seem to continually change! FROM JACK: I'm not so sure that facts change. What is, is! What changes is how we look at the facts. Truth is the ultimate, and to find it is a never-ending search. We should not be afraid of change, as we pursue the truth.

FROM SH IN MICHIGAN: A person's whole life in some relationships can be spent discerning where facts are being shared and where truth is being shared. I'm thinking about the issue of boundaries and where some people state facts that cause a divide when they really are ambivalent of being close. Sometimes people start arguing about what is black and what is white when the truth is beyond the facts but more exactly in their feelings for each other. Frank Lloyd Wright said an interesting thing here and glad you are sharing it. Wonder how much arguing there would have been if we had been able to know each other personally. FROM JACK: The Sioux Indian Prayer is right: "Great Spirit, help me to never judge another until I have walked in his moccasins for two weeks."

FROM SG IN MICHIGAN: Here are some funny truths:
Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
Bad decisions make good stories.
I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front.
FROM JACK: To readers of Winning Words....You should read some that I chose not to include.

FROM MOLINER CF: Facts and truths go hand in hand. As Sinatra once sang, "You can't have one without the other." FROM JACK: Both are in the eye of the beholder. I had an aunt who didn't like Sinatra. She called him, "Snotra."

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY: I'll take the truth over facts any day. FROM JACK: Is there a choice?

FROM DRLP IN MICHIGAN: Facts are the evidence. They must be pieced together to get a peek at the truth. FROM JACK: Who is it that determines the validity of each? Are either objective or subjective? Now, there's a philosophical question for a Friday. MORE FROM LP: Not philosophical... scientific. Think about medical studies and diagnostic tests. Your PSA measurement is a fact. But, it is only one piece of evidence toward the truth of whether or not you have prostate cancer. Sensitivity, specificity, validity, accuracy, precision... this is why statisticians have jobs. FROM JACK: Statisticians have jobs. Philosophers don't really have jobs, unless raising questions...and more questions, is a job.

FROM HAWKEYE GS: There are some 17,000 nonverbal means of communication. When you want the truth from someone, you can best do it in person and observe their whole body. FROM JACK: 17,000? If you say so. The truth is that you can tell some things about people by observing the body language. That's why there is such a thing as judging. What is true and what is false?

FROM ML IN ILLINOIS: "and that's the truth", says edith ann. FROM JACK: And "snort, snort," goes Ernestine.