The Many Faces of Truth

Is The Earth Really Spinning Around the Sun

If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.

Adolf Hitler

Truth is a slippery thing. It’s got more faces than a deck of cards, and depending on who’s speaking, it can be anything from cold, hard facts to the wildest personal delusion.

Let’s talk objective truth, the kind that doesn’t give a damn about your feelings—it just is. The Earth is spinning around the Sun. At least that’s what they tell us.

So, a philosopher and a scientist walk into a bar. The bartender says, “What’ll it be?”  The scientist says, “I’ll have a beer, that’s an objective truth.” The philosopher shrugs and says, “I don’t know, what even is a beer?”  The bartender sighs and says, “Buddy, you’re getting a water.”

Then there’s subjective truth, where one guy’s truth is another’s nonsense. You loved that movie? Great. Someone else thought it was trash. Who’s right? Both of you, in your own twisted way.  Sometimes.

And let’s not forget spiritual truth, where it’s all faith, baby—heaven, hell, gods, and demons. Real? Not real? Depends on your preacher, your priest, or your poison.

Cultural truth, that’s where what’s true for one tribe is pure fiction for another. It’s all about the context. Here In Mexico, they play by a whole different rulebook when it comes to truth.

When people raised on hard facts and logic come to Mexico, they don’t know what to make of it. They say Mexicans don’t think straight, that they play fast and loose with the truth. They lie, even when there’s no reason for it. It baffles them. Why lie when the truth would cause no harm? It’s a different way of living, one that outsiders can’t easily grasp.

What seems illogical to a foreigner often makes perfect sense to a Mexican.

Truth here doesn’t come in black and white, fixed and rigid. It’s based on circumstance. The idea comes from the East, places like Japan and China. In Mexico, truth is personal. What’s true for one might not be true for another. What’s true today may not be true tomorrow.

At the heart of it, Mexicans tell you what won’t upset you. It’s about keeping the peace. Avoid conflict. Make things smooth. They’re not lying to deceive—they’re lying to keep things right. Truth, for them, bends with the moment.

And then there's mentira. The Spanish word for lie doesn’t have the same weight here. It’s not a sin against God, not an immoral act. It’s often more like a harmless fib, or even a joke. As one expat put it, Mexicans hate saying “no.” They’ll agree to anything—a date, a time, a commitment—even when they know they can’t keep it, just to keep everyone happy in the moment. To say “no” is rude. If they don’t know the answer, they make one up.

Mexicans have a reputation for being late, for missing appointments entirely. But nobody bats an eye. It’s how things go. In a society built on hierarchy and authority, people know better than to risk suspicion or anger from those in power. They tell people what they want to hear, keep the truth soft and flexible.

This approach to truth unsettles foreigners, especially Americans who’ve been taught that truth must be solid, unchanging, honest. But in Mexico, truth can be fluid, shaped by desire. Mexicans often say things they know aren’t true simply because they wish they were. It’s not about lying to harm—it’s creating a reality they want to live in, a sort of spiritual dimension.

Mexicans don’t feel the need to nail everything down with absolute terms or rules. That would kill the joy, the flexibility that makes life adaptable. To them, the truth is whatever keeps things flowing. This clashes head-on with the rigid thinking of North Americans, who see any deviation from solid truth as inefficient and irrational.

And just to complicate things further, there’s more than one kind of truth in Mexico. What’s true in Mexico City might not be true in another region. What’s considered proper in one place may be out of line in another.

Of course, North Americans tell white lies too—tons of them—leaving out parts of the truth to avoid problems or mislead people. But when it comes to black lies, those that are deliberate and harmful, they’re frowned upon and often illegal.

Understanding the difference between real truth and Mexican truth is a challenge, one that foreigners struggle with. In Mexico, the real truth—la mera neta—is sometimes referred to as the clean, genuine truth. But even that depends on the context.

Saving face is another part of the puzzle. Lower-class Mexican men, in particular, will go to great lengths to avoid losing face. They’ll hide the truth, misrepresent facts, even seek revenge to protect their honor. It’s ingrained in the culture.

But times are changing. A more principle-based view of truth is emerging, especially among those educated abroad or with international business experience. The old ways are shifting, but for now, the many faces of truth in Mexico still reflect a deep, cultural reality that outsiders struggle to understand.

So what is truth? It’s a wild, shifting beast. Sometimes a lifeline, sometimes, a weapon. Most of the time, it’s whatever gets you through the day. And night.

A lot depends on your priest, or your peyote. Either way, you're gonna see something—one just involves a little more singing, and the other, well... let’s just say that burning bush might start talking back!