I think the nature of truth is a relevant topic as we wade deeper into this age of information questioning, relative truths and the manipulation of facts. We find ourselves in unusual political times when the nature of truth, even its very existence, is being questioned in the public arena at what was once considered to be the highest levels. Postmodernist thinking that asks, “What can we know?” isn’t new, and I think we should all keep a healthy dose of skepticism regarding our own righteousness on any topic. That kind of mental honesty is healthy for us as individuals, as well as a society. However, when we allow our collective conversation to devolve down to questioning if anything is knowable, we threaten our democracy and perhaps even more seriously, the very basis of any civil society-rational thought. I offer this poem as evidence that truth does indeed exist, what we do does matter and that each of us can make a difference. I understand and feel the fatigue of fighting information ghosts, but I say stay present, stay engaged:

Truth does exist,

Ask the greenback swallow bringing food to her babies in the nest under the eaves,

Watch as the young lovers slip away to be alone,

Look to the robin swallowing the red raspberry whole,

And feel the deep ache in the muscle at the end of a real day’s work

Smell the sweet honeysuckle on the evening breeze,

Listen as the violin players tune their instruments,

See the night stars take up their dance across the evening sky,

And notice how sleep comes also to the most restless mind … even in a postmodern world

— Gayle Kellner