Facts are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes. – Jawaharlal Nehru
No matter how much you like MC Escher or his works, the fact is that this just isn’t something that can happen in reality, right? It’s all in how you look at it.
What does that mean?
This is a great quote, said many times and in many ways by a great many people. I imagine even Confucius and Mark Twain actually said something like this at some point in their lives.
Facts are the words we give to actual truths. Whether it be a statement about the cat (alive or dead), or the weather (raining or not), a fact is the truth. While in some cases, opinions are asserted as facts, things that are actual facts are, in fact, actually true.
What is important to know is that no matter whether you approve or disapprove, like or dislike, enjoy or bemoan, a fact continues to be true. Facts do not care about your likes or dislikes. They do not seek your approval. They don’t care if they make you happy or sad. They simply are.
Why is facing facts important?
The term ‘facing facts’ is an old one, which is what this quote is all about. It means to stop trying to ignore or twist the facts into something you might prefer (or dislike less). The facts simply are, and we should become used to understanding their stubborn nature.
In short, you can’t out-stubborn a fact. You can only ignore or misinterpret them at your own peril. That fact, of course, won’t stop some from trying. Young children can be forgiven for testing facts again and again, jut to be sure. Adults, they are not as cute.
These days, the biggest problem is determining what is and what isn’t a fact. For quite a number of years, it was a fact that the Earth was flat. It was a fact that the sun moved around the Earth. Yet somehow, a round Earth moved around the sun the whole time, despite the likes of those in power.
Eventually, facts become so well understood that nearly everyone will agree with them. Planetary shapes, orbital mechanics, and gravitational theory are all pretty well agreed on, even by those not able to do the math involved. They have faced the facts. The Flat Earth types, not so much.
Where can I apply this in my life?
Can you imagine a sky diver who didn’t believe that gravity was a fact? That’s not going to end well, will it? Does it matter how certain they are that gravity isn’t a fact? Does it matter that they don’t like gravity? I highly doubt their belief will have any impact (if you’ll pardon the macabre pun) on the outcome.
Some people have trouble facing facts in emotional issues. Take relationships as an example. How many times have you seen or experienced someone who didn’t want to believe a relationship was over? It takes two to have a relationship, and when one says it’s over, it is over. Fact.
Yet some people have difficulty facing that fact. They don’t like it. They try to ignore it. They pretend it still exists. However, the fact is that the relationship is over. Eventually, they will have to accept that fact, even if they don’t particularly like it.
Ok, so you aren’t a stalker. Where else in your life can you apply this quote? Here in the USA, we just finished with an election. Across the nation races large and small were run, and winners were announced, except in a few places, where they’re still counting votes.
However, this is real life, and not everyone is a winner. Not everyone saw the person they were hoping to see get elected win. From dog catcher to President, someone out there was disappointed. However, the elections are fact, even if you don’t like it. It’s time to face facts and prepare for the future.
Where else can you use this quote? Well, where else are you refusing to accept facts? That’s a hard question to answer on your own, isn’t it? You may have to consider what others have said to you to help zero in on some facts you are trying to ignore because you don’t like them.
Or you could try to help someone else who is having trouble accepting a fact that they don’t much like. The trick, of course, is the proper use of tact. If it were as easy as pointing it out, they would have gotten it right a long time ago, right?
It will take a little work and some effort on your part. Just be as gentle as possible. Nothing seems to make someone dig in and defend their view as a full frontal attack. And you’re not out to make enemies, are you?
Facing facts isn’t always pleasant, but it must be done. Sometimes it help to have a friend, but ignoring the facts certainly isn’t going to make them go away.
From: Twitter, @vendyp_
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jawaharlal383324.html
Photo by idigit_teddy They made a great page explaining how they did it, here.
Happy Birthday to Jawaharlal Nehru, born 14 November, 1889
