What is Truth?

“We're stuck in a reality that is based on our perception,” said one of my survey respondents during my 20-question truth interview with her. Her comment made me think: what are times in my life when reality wasn’t based on the truth, but instead on someone’s perception of the events? And the first image that popped up in my head? This pair of clear pink scissors: Since I learned what colors were, pink has always been my favorite. In first grade, our classroom had a shared bucket of scissors. It was only natural that the pink ones were the only ones I would agree to use.  But another little girl in my class loved these pink scissors as much as I did. Her name was Kayla. I am not sure what series of events led to this point, but one day, Kayla and I found ourselves fighting over this pair of highly coveted scissors. It was a fair fight. And somehow, Kayla’s little hand got cut in the scuffle. Immediately, she ran crying to the teacher. “Lydia cut me!” And that was it. The next thing...

“Me? Well I’ve been a thief since I had baby teeth.” These iconic words, spoken by Charlie Croker when introducing himself in The Italian Job , made me think back to when I had baby teeth. At six years old, deep into the first grade, I was swindled for the first time. Her name was Victoria Jarmon. The most popular girl at my elementary school, soon-to-become second- and third- grade class president, she was a pretty normal kid. With big brown eyes, long dark brown hair, and a family so large I lost count (she had about seven siblings, I think), middle-child Victoria had a face and personality that could convince just about anyone. So, when she finally revealed one of her proudest accomplishments to our class, it made sense that she would be believed. One day, during free time, she announced to us all: she was Selena Gomez’s little sister. It was too good to be true! Selena. Gomez. Disney Channel star. Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place. Lead singer in Selena Gomez & the Scene...

The conspiracy theory I chose for this week’s research is the death of Jeffrey Epstein. For a conspiracy to hold its title, it must involve two or more people, some secret action, and a motive, as explained by Karen Douglas in a LiveScience article . However, they also often have an extra element: an exciting, new explanation or belief. I’ve heard the phrase “Epstein didn’t kill himself” more times than I can count. So, I thought, why not explore it? On August 10, 2019, at 6:30 am, inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City (NYC), Jeffrey Epstein, an inmate, was found dead (Wikipedia) . Epstein was a prominent figure in the American business world and was a convicted sex offender and alleged trafficker. In a previous incident months before he died, on July 23, 2019, Epstein was found with injuries to his neck, semiconscious inside his cell (Wikipedia) . His cellmate was cleared by the prison of any involvement in Epstein’s injuries, but their origins remain contested....