The Absolute Truth About the Absolute Truth

I have four quarters in front of me - two near my right hand and two near my left. I count the two on my right, then the two on my left, then push them together and they total four.

Is there anyone who would dispute that two plus two makes four, or that four American quarters make one American dollar? How can we be so sure? After all, many people say there is no longer such a thing as absolute truth. Some believe we should make up our own truths as we go along according to our experiences, or how we feel at any given moment - but you shouldn't dare try to share your absolute truth with anyone else.

Imagine taking those four quarters into any American supermarket, going to the register with $20.00 worth of groceries, and saying to the cashier, "I prefer to believe that these four quarters make $20.00, and you must accept them as full payment for my food." Nobody is going to believe you, because in our money system, it is absolutely true that 4 quarters only make one dollar. So we can't say that there is no absolute truth.

When someone states there is no such thing as absolute truth, I ask them, "Do you unequivocally believe that there is no absolute truth?" If they say yes, I say "Then you must admit there is absolute truth".

There was a movie with Robin Williams a few years ago - "What Dreams May Come" - based on the premise that the main character's life wasn't really true - it was all in his head, and it could be whatever he made it. This seems far-fetched, but believe it or not, there is a whole camp of people who actually believe this.

If there is no absolute truth, then why do we die? Wouldn't most of us prefer to live, and choose to stay at the age that has been our best? Or live in a different era which excites our imagination? Wouldn't most of us like to twitch our noses and be millionaires?