Truth vs. Fact ~ Paranormal Reports

Truth vs. Fact? Seems like one of those "Chicken or the egg" things, but there is something here that has always bothered me when I try to get my mind around certain things. Websters New World Dictionary says of  "Truth": "suggests conformity with the facts or with reality, either as an idealized abstraction or in actual application to statements, ideas, acts, etc.". Interesting I think, and about "Fact": "a thing that has actually happened or that is really true; a thing that has been or is.". This definition has always been as confusing to me as the argument. They are close to the same, but, at the same time, they are not the same. This is really not much help for an Old Hippie, one who enjoyed possibly a little too much of the 60s.

In my own mind, I have separated them like this. A "Fact" is something that is verifiable and can be proved repeatedly by specific tests. Like the boiling point of water. The "Truth" is something believed to be fact, and sometimes is fact, but can not be proved. Still, confused, OK. The moon circles the Earth. That is a fact, because it can be proved mathematically. God created the heavens and the Earth. This is a truth because it can not be proved, but it is a truth because nearly all religions believe this to be the fact. Well, science doesn't accept this as fact or truth, but there is a rumor that scientists are a little different anyway. Still a little fuzzy? OK. So for the purpose of this insignificant little piece of writing, I will say that facts are provable and that truth is something that is generally accepted.

For most things in our lives the difference between fact and truth is of little difference. The sun will come up in the morning, fact or truth? No one cares because we all accept this. When you think about it, our lives are filled with things we simply take for granted. Our lives are governed by things we never question. We are truly creatures of habit. So much so that we miss seeing things that happen because they don't fit into the neatly arranged little box where we live our lives. Enter what we call "The Paranormal". The things we have no answers for. The cluttered box where all of those things we can't explain get thrown into.

If you think about it like this, paranormal it something beyond normal that we can't explain, no one will dispute it's existence. But there are things in that box that have seeded questions in my mind for a long time. One of these is "Spirits"!  What are they? Something must exist here that science has never been able to explain, probably because there is no money in finding an explanation, but that is something different. Throughout both the oral histories and written histories of man, there have been references to Spirits. Gods, angels, demons, devils, fairies and ghosts. Every culture has written about them, talked about them, sometimes with love, sometimes with hate. They have been both admired and feared, both sought out and hidden from, they have been part of the lives on men since the beginning. But, are they real?

Yes, I think that the existence of Spirits is real! But, since there is no PROOF, I can't state that their existence is a fact. And the question is very clouded by the simple truth that where there are unprovable things, people will find a way to make a "Buck" with wild theories and theatrical gimmicks. We all know of those like "Madame Empty Your Wallet And I'll Contact Your Dead Husband", (Tough name to fit on a business card.), side show mentalists and others like them. But there are so many reliable references throughout our collective history, that it must prompt me to believe that there is something real here. What it is I have no idea, but I know that there is something that makes me believe that there are Spirits.

Unfortunately, "Hard Science" ignores this topic. But, recently there have been private groups who's goal is to find proof. Some are trying to make money doing this, which is neither good or bad. If you can make money in today's world, you need to do it. As long as what they report is not faked, bringing this phenomena into mainstream consciousness is a good thing. Personally, if I had the opportunity to join such a group, I would. Maybe someone reading this can give me some recommendations, (I have my own transportation.). And I would like to hear stories from you. did something happen to you that changed your mind? Write and tell me. Or, tell me about a book on this subject. I am an avid reader. I'm just an Old Hippie, and this is my opinion, right or wrong, good or bad. Have A Great Day,

The Old Hippie