ambiguous truth

"the truth is..."

"i believe..."

In reading about the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, I was reminded of something I believe (maybe some people would say, "I was reminded of a truth."): The truth is really ambiguous these days! You may recall that Litvinenko was poisoned with Polonium 210 several months ago in the UK. At first, officials didn't know what was wrong with the man -- they soon discovered he came into contact with lethal doses of the radioactive element. Many other people in and around London also came into contact with the element; thankfully nobody else suffered the horrendous death Litvinenko suffered. UK officials were able to discover 'a trail of radiation' through London and have since charged a Russian man with murder (although Russia will not extradite him).

Here are Litvinenko's (husband and father of a 12 year old son) last words:

"May God forgive you for what you have done, not only to me, but to beloved Russia and its people." (Speaking to Russian President Putin)

The man who is accused of this incomprehensible murder denies any involvement! And I quote:

"I did not kill Litvinenko, have nothing to do with his death and can prove (it) with facts(.) (I have) my distrust of the so-called evidence collected by Britain's justice system." (parentheses added, obviously something didn't translate correctly between Russian and English)

A whole country (UK) investigated this crime and through 'facts' and 'evidence' have accused a man. The accused claims he can refute evidence collect by Britain with facts of his own.

In other words, Britain has a set of facts that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, prove a certain man killed Litvinenko. This certain man has his own set of facts that he feels proves his lack of involvement.

POINT:
Who is telling the truth? Both have facts and evidence on their side.

I think it comes down to what you believe. Do you believe the accused killed Litvinenko? Do you believe the accused is innocent? I tend to side with Britain, our allies, on the matter -- but that has nothing to do with facts -- just beliefs. Would I feel the same way if I was Russian and didn't view Britain as an ally?

To expand, I know of several people who have been sentenced to punishment for crimes they did not commit. We have all heard of men accused of rape and sentenced to prison time accordingly, who are later cleared due to DNA evidence. I imagine in their trials, they had evidence and facts to prove their innocence -- as did the prosecution to prove otherwise. It came down to what the jury believed. Question: Who had the 'more convincing facts'? Should facts have to be convincing?

The BIGGER QUESTION: Is it bad to base beliefs on facts?
Follow-up: Is the answer as black and white as 'yes' or 'no'?

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Just for my own sake, I'm going to expand on this a bit:

If i were to answer 'yes', as in , "Yes, it is bad to base beliefs on facts", what would I, then, say beliefs should be based on? Emotions? Intuition? Popular Opinion?

If I were to answer 'no', as in, "No, it is not bad to base beliefs on facts", how do I account for facts that can prove people both innocent and guilty of crimes? It seems if you have a belief, you can find facts to support it.

I still believe that beliefs are important to have. I'm confused, however, on how to support my beliefs when they are questioned (ie, encounter beleifs in opposition to my own).

Boo-Ya Ka Sha, Respect and Love

-Collin

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/05/22/uk.spy/index.html

Season Anew

A new season beckons inside
or
Opportunity allures me

I pray all the good inside of me can be expressed through work; my work. I pray I would stop running from rejection and failure; face it. I pray for the end of pushing away and the beginning of welcoming in. Indeed, giving rather than receiving.

For those in my life, my realm, who are on the verge of a new season: May God bless your transition -- may you bless God with smiles of both mouth and soul. You have never been alone. Hope does not disappoint.


God Bless You

-C