The humankind has always been fascinated with the pursuit of knowledge. In the book of Genesis we read that God forbade Adam & Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge and yet the desire to gain knowledge was enough to get Adam and Eve into trouble with God. Even though this account of creation grew out of a particular culture, it clearly shows that there in this inherent desire to gain knowledge and truth.  Classical Greek philosophers were “obsessed” with this pursuit knowledge and truth opened up a new field which has had positive and negative impact on future generations.

The search for truth should always lead us to understand ourselves and the world better. In our experience when dealing with children these days, their inquisitive mind is always seeking logical explanations to almost everything that they encounter. The “why” questions sometimes drives parents up the wall especially when they do not or have run out of answers. We cannot run away from the inquisitive mind. As long as the human person exists, the mind begins to wonder. That is why the French philosopher, Rene Descartes said Cogito ergo sum (I think therefore I am).

No one can curb the individuals capacity to think. This capacity to think which has been bestowed upon humanity by God for the purpose of improving society and for the common good of all. However, this is not always the case. As much as we have the capacity to think for the good of all, we also have the capacity to tend towards evil.

To the question “What is Truth?” one can in a simplistic way explain as the absence of lies. However, is there an objective truth? Today we live in an age where the understanding of truth is being questioned. The rise of relativism, especially among the younger generation, is something of great concern in the church (Relativism is the philosophical position that all points of view are equally valid, and that all truth is relative to the individual). In this context then, does the question what is truth have any significance to us today?

Jesus told his disciples “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (Jn 14:6) and that the “truth will set you free: (Jn 8:2) Our faith tells us that Jesus is the fullness of the truth that the human mind seeks. Truth can easily be manipulated by the powerful for their own gain. But in Jesus, we find the absolute truth. If we are to let our minds seek the truth, then it is Jesus’ guidance that we need. As Pope Benedict XVI points out that charity (love) must guide our search for the truth (cf.Caritas in veritate).However, love and truth are not imposed on us. These have to be lovingly embraced for the greater good of humanity. If we seek goodness, then we inevitably must also seek to live the truth. Let us not be a “people of the lie”; rather let the truth set us free to think and manifest the God that lives in us.