Truth
I saw a man pursuing the horizon
by Stephen Crane
I saw a man pursuing the horizon;
Round and round they sped.
I was disturbed at this;
I accosted the man.
"It is futile," I said.
"You can never --"
"You lie," he cried,
And ran on.
This poem provides an excellent impetus for reflection on the times when we choose not to acknowledge the facts and realities of circumstances in our lives. Often times the choice is unconscious and we feign ignorance as a defense mechanism. Other times, the truth of a situation may not be clearly evident, causing us to react based on misinformation.
When was a time that you couldn't recognize the truth about a situation? Was it an unconscious choice to ignore the facts, or were you not fully aware of the situation? What happened when the truth of the situation became apparent?
Is working through a situation without acknowledgement/recognition of the total truth always detrimental to the parties involved? Can it be beneficial?
When was a time that you couldn't recognize the truth about a situation? Was it an unconscious choice to ignore the facts, or were you not fully aware of the situation? What happened when the truth of the situation became apparent?
Is working through a situation without acknowledgement/recognition of the total truth always detrimental to the parties involved? Can it be beneficial?
Technorati tags: Stephen Crane, truth
Sometimes the truth is too painful and we have to face it a bit at a time over many years.
Too much truth at once can prove fatal e.g. in Ibsen's 'The Wild Duck' an obsession with truth leads to a fatality.
Posted by
Bob |
10/15/2006 05:11:00 PM
Is there ever really, truly "total truth"?
Posted by
genderist |
10/15/2006 05:21:00 PM
All I have to say is I had some training tonight for 2 hours with my team members and it was the most amazing break through I've ever had in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I faced many truths that kept me back and now I broke through a huge barrier this afternoon and it was awesome!!!
I can't begin to describe how I feel right now. I'm in another universe!!!!
Posted by
Anonymous |
10/15/2006 08:37:00 PM
..You can never --..
Is this just a matter of perspective..? Hours/days prior, where the man is standing now was "the horizon".. And only by chasing after it did he arrive at his goal..
It's just that with each forward step towards the horizon, his goal gets redefined.. everyday reaching what months before had been the target, and everyday setting out to reach the next horizon he sees.. Is he always failing? Or is he always succeeding to do what he'd set out to accomplish, setting new goals along the way?
Posted by
LV7 |
10/16/2006 10:23:00 AM
Rob: You reminded me of a story I once saw on a news programs which discussed medical evidence that suugested that humans can suffer from "broken hearts" when faced with extreme emotional conditions.
genderist: Yes, "truth" is quite often a very subjective matter, isn't it? And very much dependent on perspective!
Tony: I don't have much of a clue as to what you are referring to, but you seem quite excited about it, so congrats! :)
Loki: Great points. Thanks for sharing an alternative view, I hadn't thought about it like that! Definitely puts a positive and motivating spin on the situation.
Posted by
Angela |
10/16/2006 06:26:00 PM