Objectivity and Subjectivity
Truths are real, unshakable and universal facts. However, lately truth feels like a vanishing point in a world brimming with opinions. We scroll through conflicting news, hear contradictory voices, and live in an age where "my truth" and "your truth" seem to take precedence over the truth. But not all truths are equal. Some are personal, shaped by feelings and experience. Others are impersonal, carved from facts, logic, and evidence. This is the tension between subjectivity and objectivity; and why, if we wish to reach the absolute truth, we must rely on objectivity instead. One must understand that there is only the absolute truth, what some consider as "my truth" or "your truth", are not truths but rather the perceptions of the absolute truth.
Subjectivity: The Beauty and the Blindfold
Subjectivity is the lens of the heart. It colors the world through personal experience, emotion, and bias. It’s why a piece of music may move one person to tears and leave another untouched. It’s why two people can witness the same event and walk away with wildly different impressions.
Subjectivity is not evil. It is the essence of art, poetry, and human connection. It allows us to empathize, to feel deeply, to love. But it is also limited. Like a mirror reflecting only one angle, subjectivity can distort. It may validate our feelings, but it rarely challenges them. It can comfort, but it can also blind.
When emotions or personal experiences become our only compass, we risk building beliefs on unstable ground. Our fears, traumas, and desires shape what we want to be true—not what is true.
Objectivity: The Hard Path to Reality
Objectivity, on the other hand, is the pursuit of truth stripped of personal bias. It asks us to examine evidence, test assumptions, and question even what feels right. It’s not heartless, it’s disciplined. It’s not cold, it’s clear. Where subjectivity leans inward, objectivity looks outward. It holds up a mirror not just to our desires, but to the world as it actually is.
This doesn’t mean we must become emotionless machines. It means we must have the courage to step outside ourselves. To listen to reason when our heart is noisy. To verify before we believe. To acknowledge that some truths are uncomfortable, but necessary.
Think of a doctor who diagnoses a loved one. Emotion screams denial, but the X-ray doesn’t lie. Or a judge who feels sympathy for both parties, but must uphold the law. Objectivity is not indifference. It is integrity.
Why It Matters: Truth Cannot Be Chosen
In a society ruled by emotion, truth becomes a matter of taste. But truth is not subjective. Gravity doesn’t change because we feel it should. History doesn’t rewrite itself to protect our pride. Climate change doesn’t disappear because it’s inconvenient. If we want to solve real problems, to build real understanding, we must be willing to accept objective truths even when it contradicts or goes against our personal feelings.
Balancing the Two: Feeling Deeply, Thinking Clearly
This is not a call to suppress emotion. Emotion gives life meaning. But to live wisely, we must let emotion guide us, not govern us. Let your heart feel and let your mind examine. Let empathy inspire action but let evidence shape your beliefs. Truth is not found in what we want to be right, but in what is right. In the end, subjectivity helps us express our truth. But objectivity helps us find the truth.
And the truth, no matter how hard it is to hear, is what sets us free.
