Fact is Not Truth
Or as Skip Marley says: That’s not true
One of J. Cole’s biggest hits is Love Yourz, with words we all sing to:
There’s no such thing as a life that’s better than yours.
Plenty of truisms in the song. Then came the descendants of Bob Marley. They questioned what truth is and what constitutes lies. More about that in a bit.
Science creates one way of knowing what is false, not what is true.
Mathematics creates axioms to figure out what is truthful in the formal world of math. There’s no room for falsities in hard math. Godel showed how the world of math boasts complete understanding, yet it cannot prove all truths.
And once we leave the field of academia, the streets create their own truth criteria. It starts with Skip Marley when he warns:
I know you drunk in power: brother, that’s not juice
I see you chasing Mil’s: my brother, that’s not food
When the banana peels, I tell you that’s not fruit
Another brother shot down, but that’s not news
I love how he uses the negation “not” because we cannot really know essences. But we can know what they are not. Basically, the scientific method of falsification.
When in love, the facts hit even harder, making one question what is truthful from merely factual.
And it doesn’t have to be a person. It could be your work. An idea. A project. As Skip tells us:
A wise man used to say
“If she’s amazing, she won’t be easy”
Tell me that’s not true!
Indeed, the truth, whatever it is, hits harder than most concepts.
It is my belief that truth and beauty are different angles viewed from the same kaleidoscope. This much becomes evident when Damien Marley spits in his verse. I’ll let you tell me where the lie lies. The lyrics are not nearly as impactful as how he raps in the verse, so I would urge you to listen to the song:
Better you build a bridge, than instead of you build a wall (A lie?)
Better to love and lost, than to never have loved at all (A lie?)
Better to do today, than instead of you putting it off (A lie?)
Tomorrow nuh sure and that is for sure, so better you give it you all (A lie?)
Better you stand up and better you get up and rise, whenever you fall (A lie?)
Better you smile instead of you cry, and even better you laugh
Embarrassment better than gas pain, me friend, so better you fart (A lie?)
Anything better than hungry, wisdom better than smart
Better dem doe boda gwan like dem tuff, ’cause I bet when you check it dem soft (A lie?)
Gwaan like dem bad and a buck like a bull but I bet when you check is a calf (A lie?)
Real is better than fraud (A lie?), freedom better than bought (A lie?)
Gold is better than bronze (A lie?), bronze is better than brass, but
Health is better than wealth, and peace is better than war (A lie?)
Now is better than later, the present is better than past (A lie?)
Prevention better than cure, and long life better than fast (A lie?)
Question better than answer
Better you answer, just tell me yours
Which brings me to the part where it’s better to ask questions than to give answers. Even better is to give answers that spark more questions. Fact is not truth, but a corroboration of a hypothesis and evidence in its support.
Now, tell me: where’s the lie?
This song inspired some of the lines used in this article. Source — YouTube