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Hello there! Or, more appropriately, since I’m in Sweden, “Hej!”
It feels bold to address those I meet here with a casual-sounding “Hey,” or even better yet, “Hey Hey.” I keep trying but can’t quite get it right. It comes out “Hi Hi” and then it makes me giggle, so I’m sure the people on the train at present must think me very strange. Which I am, of course, but usually it takes more than 10 seconds to figure that out. Swedes can tell in far less time.
This is my first time to Sweden and it has been a thoroughly delightful visit. Not only have I had most gracious hosts, I’ve had the renewed joy of discovering those differences in culture and language that make international travel so interesting. Things like "fika"—daily coffee breaks with kanelbulle (wonderful cinnamon rolls with big pearls of sugar on top). Or having tomatoes and cucumbers for breakfast. Or the fact that Gothenburg is not the “City of Goats” as I originally understood, nor even of the Goths, but a whole other people entirely.
Perhaps more importantly, I’ve had the renewed joy of discovering similarities where you might not think they would be. This includes on the topic of truth. It’s been a surprise to me to find out that Swedes have many of the same questions that we do on the other side of the Atlantic:
- How can you tell whether something is real or not?
- Does it even matter if we agree or can we all just agree to disagree?
- Am I not entitled to my own opinion?
- How do we talk to one another when we don’t see eye to eye?
I did a talk on these questions this past Saturday in Gothenburg and another one on Tuesday night in Stockholm. I rather wish I’d brought over with me in my suitcase a couple more copies of my book Let’s Talk About Truth, but y’all know my insistence on never bringing more than a carry on and I decided it’d be wiser to use my limited packing space for a hot pink raincoat. (Ironically, it has ended up not raining much, but the hot pink has made me easier to find when I get lost… which also happens on a regular basis.)
Because packing space is always a problem for me, but I feel like the topic of truth is more pressing than ever, I’ve made up my mind to do something radical and release a slightly revised free version of the book online. I really would like the content to be as widely available to people as possible, regardless of where they live.
I’ve taken each of the four main chapters of the book and adapted them as essays available on a new website called ReclaimingTruth.org. Each essay talks about a different way we use the word “truth” in today’s society and tips from the Catholic tradition about how to think each through.
The first essay—Truth as a Way of Seeing the World—talks about the classical definition of truth as having a mind that is aligned with reality. It addresses questions like: How can I know if something is real? Why should I care? If I can’t be certain about something, why believe anything? Who’s to judge whether something is real or not? Is “reason” even a thing? Are there limits to what we should seek to know?
The second essay—Truth as a Way of Forming Good Judgments—makes a distinction between “facts” and “opinions” or “conclusions” and introduces tools for judging not only whether something is real or not, but whether something is good or not. Not all opinions are created equal and some really are more solid than others. This essay addresses questions like: Aren’t we entitled to our own opinions? How should one go about forming an opinion? What about others who don’t agree with us? How do we talk across such differences?
The third essay—Truth as a Way of Communicating—talks about what it means to be honest. Truth is more than having a mind aligned with reality; it is also about having a mouth aligned with one’s mind. Society is in danger when we pretend to be sincere but aren’t. This essay addresses questions like: What’s the difference between and error and a lie? Why is lying considered an intrinsic evil? Are we supposed to say everything that is on our minds? What are the limits of “truth-telling”? What is integrity? What if others aren’t truthful?
The last essay—Truth as a Way of Being in Relationship—talks about the most ancient definition of truth from the Bible which we tend to draw on least in our current context: truth as fidelity. This essay addresses questions like: What does it mean to “be true”? How is “being true” different than “being loyal”? Shouldn’t I also worry about being true to myself? How can we be true to people we don’t like? Do I have to be true to everyone?
You can start with whatever essay addresses the questions you are most interested in thinking through, but I will say the essays probably will make the most sense if you read them in order. I’d also invite you to share the links to these chapters with friends and relatives that you know might be wrestling with some of these questions as well.
One of the things that is quite different between these essays and the original book Let’s Talk About Truth is that they include no sample preachings. Instead the preachings are shared under a separate tab on the ReclaimingTruth.com site. And they come from a much wider variety of preachers than myself, so you can hear lots of different voices. At present most of the voices are Catholic, but I am hoping that within the next year, we’ll expand to include voices of preachers from multiple Christian traditions and beyond. Seeking truth, speaking truthfully, and being true to one another are values that are shared across religious traditions. I am hoping myself to learn more from other faith leaders about how they think through the questions I’ve raised above in the essays.
In light of all that is going on in the U.S. right now (but also in places as far away as Sweden!), I am asking as many preachers and writers I can find to address questions of truth during the month of October—in sermons and homilies, but also articles in bulletins and diocesan newspapers, classroom lesson plans, magazine essays. You name your platform. Let’s go about it together. The current website has a number of sample resources already available to use as a starting place. More should be available in the coming week. Let’s dream what could happen if each of us committed this month to talking not only about the truths that we hold dear, but the value of truth itself and why it matters.
If you are interested in writing a preaching specifically for this new website, or have an essay to recommend, reach out to me (ann@anngarrido.com) and I’ll send you the guidelines for submissions and even a special document on what we’re looking for during the month of October!
Meanwhile, Hej.