Truth asserts, hurts or gives hope. Truth is something that remains the same irrespective of changing conditions – can I explain it that way?
Of course, I should qualify that with a precondition or disclaimer that the statement remains valid within the “world” that we live in, For example, 5 is a greater number than 4. The whole number / mathematical system is what humans invented to represent a kind of truth that remains valid within this world we live in.
Following the uncertainty about the location of the departure station of the bus to the airport, I discovered that it did not set out from there. Well, what happened was that the bus we are going to take is at midnight. It was a few days before we travelled and I thought to “scout” the new departure location to ensure buses do leave there. And my “scouting” revealed that for 2 1-hour periods, when two buses were expected to arrive and leave, they didn’t turn up.
Rather than myself not grasping the truth of the matter, it turned out there were other people doing similar “scouting” for this same bus service. We were faithfully waiting on the side hoping that the bus would turn up as foretold and we shall be happy and satisfied that truth affirms.
On the first 2 days, the was no information at the old stop about the change. From the third day, there was a notice on that stop to inform people to go to the new stop, the bus would go from there. On that ground, there is an “obvious” truth that the bus shall now depart from the new stop. Not only the tour company knows that, they inform people about it, and so the public know what to do.
Given such “truth”, why the buses did not turn up is a mystery. It was tremendously unsettling since missing that service means potentially missing the flight. We might have to drive to the airport.
I got in touch with the bus company. I told them my version of the ‘truth’, to the point of sending them a map of the area.
My feeling is that the company has no local knowledge.
They could only go on their “truth” of the timetable arrangement, and their instruction is – no surprise – to wait for the bus at the published new stop.
In the morning prior to the travel, I went to the stop to do a final friendly information “scouting”. So early in the morning I got there that delivery vans, rubbish trucks could stop on the road to get on with their work at ease causing traffic hold-up. But I was interested in that bus. Eye in on that bus.
It turned up in good time.
It looks like this is their final stop and then the journey starts anew from this stop anyway. So much time available that the driver and controller had time to carry out their own chemical routines to exhale white smoke which was then mixed in the wider environment with the odour from the rubbish truck.
Convinced of this truth (location of the stop, not the leisure activity), and further convinced of the initial route this bus takes (I followed it when it departed!), I then became sure about my journey to the airport.
Yes, there is hope.
- This truth means that within normal modes of operation, there is no ambiguity.
Yes, truth can hurt.
- In my initial “scouting”, the buses were so severely delayed due to the time of day that I suspected they decided not to come at all.
- I guessed they then commenced their journey 2 or 3 stop further up.
- Persisting to come to this final stop would probably add another 30 minutes, and at least an hour delay to the following journey.
- This is the part of truth that is operationally or commercially “sensitive” so it does not form the truth for consumers.
Another likely truth is that there is a finite number of buses in the system. When one is delayed, you can’t send another bus to this stop in order to keep the timetable, because you don’t have that “spare bus” to use. If you apply the ‘spare’ arrangement, having just one “additional” bus in the system will cause chaos, other drivers will be confused, there is much more to do with the overall timetable than keeping to the original set of buses.
Yes, there is a hope.
Within own humanity, truth affirms and is set out that works within this system. Outside of humanity / our world, it might require a new language, new tools, new newness about sheer differences of reality that what we hold on (dear) about truth in our world might not apply.
Yes, truth can hurt.
5 being greater than 4 is valid in so far as summing up. If I was locating number 4 on a series of well-arranged items (e.g. addresses) and I came to number 5 first, I know either 4 is the next one further on, or I had just passed it.
Or if number 5 starts this part of the addresses, then number 4 could be on the other side of the road or something like that, where you can’t tell until you are physically there. (Yes, yes, yes, online maps can help.)
The point then, an application of truth, is that numbers 4 and 5 followed closely to each other. In this truth, it’s not about whether 5 is greater than 4. Who knows numbers 1 to 4 might have been rebuilt into 2 separate properties and you only have numbers 1 and 3, followed by 5, and then 6, 7, 8 and so on. Missing 2 and 4 will be utterly confusing, but the renumbering still operates within a numbering system.
Until you come “face to face” with having to locate number 5 from this series where 2 and 4 don’t exist (in the address), you will not need to deal with such kind of truth. Such truth is comfortable assertions for the locals. Until you are a local in this new ecosystem, this truth remains a slight annoyance. But it’s (relatively) new truth nonetheless.
I get on bus.
