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July 2009 
What is the difference between truth and fact?
Posted on Sep 2nd, 2008
by 
Jessica
Jessica
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for September 02, 2008:
I think facts, though helpful, are about the material world and they do not necessarily reflect Truth, on the highest level. Truth has to do with universal principles and why things are the way they are, the whole picture.
An understanding of Truth signifies a deep comprehension whereas understanding a fact may be rote or unimportant in relation to the Truth. It is like the old "forest for the trees" adage. Understanding fact might mean you know one or two trees, but understanding Truth means you know the forest, the trees, how they got there and why. There's a great depth to Truth, I don't claim to know it yet, but I think its pursuit is perhaps the greatest cause in the World.
Knowing Truth leads to wisdom, knowing facts may or may not lead to anything particularly useful. And, I think it can be said, if you know the Truth, you understand the facts. If you know facts, you may or may not know anything about Truth.
An understanding of Truth signifies a deep comprehension whereas understanding a fact may be rote or unimportant in relation to the Truth. It is like the old "forest for the trees" adage. Understanding fact might mean you know one or two trees, but understanding Truth means you know the forest, the trees, how they got there and why. There's a great depth to Truth, I don't claim to know it yet, but I think its pursuit is perhaps the greatest cause in the World.
Knowing Truth leads to wisdom, knowing facts may or may not lead to anything particularly useful. And, I think it can be said, if you know the Truth, you understand the facts. If you know facts, you may or may not know anything about Truth.
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I like your analagy with knowing the forest, there is indeed depth in truth, sometimes we intuit truth and then verify with facts, I am not so sure there is any one final truth, it feels more like an unfolding or evolving truth an infinite discovering / evolving to me.
Great post Jessica thank you
and perhaps many seek truth outwardly, forever searching for answers, to reach a point or understanding…
Some seek within to discover themselves who are perhaps the vessels of truth, each unique soul knowing truth, their truth through connection, each discovering as Gael says the '' unfolding'' ..
perhaps what we see out there on the path is the unfolding of within….
Thank you for an inspiring expression..
Love
Ange
Jessica, thank you for shining your wisdom.
Thank you for your kind comments all!
This is the most favorite explanation out of all of them I read. Thanks for making the truth so simple yet genius.
What a deeply thought out definition! I fully resonate with it! Great post, dear Jessica! Blessings!
OK, this is probably not a wise and insightful comment but here goes;
A long time ago a professor asked me to write about the Absolute Truth. OMGosh. Guess who went to the trusty library for some books about the absolute truth. How naive was I?
Your interpretation appears to be magical Jessica. I agree, truth is something which reveals itself to the world in many ways….through many catalysts.
The professor had his heart in the right place, and he did challenge us to think. Sometimes the absolute truth is not absolute at all.