The Truth
Is almost always
Some version
Of a larger truth
Or no truth at all
Merely perceptions
Based on various
Timely indoctrinations
If you learn that
The color red is red, then
You accept that as red
Yet, if you were presented
A scaled color palette
Of which red is “red”
Compared it to other’s
Understanding of “red”
It would probably differ
Even if one pixel or pigment
Was classified by “authority”
As the one and only true “red”
I know, I’ll ask “artificial intelligence.”
What is the color red?
“Red is a color—specifically one of the primary colors in light and art. It sits at the long-wavelength end of the visible spectrum (around 620–750 nanometers), which is why it appears bold and vivid to our eyes.”
– AI
Great, anything else?
“Physics
Red is light with a relatively long wavelength in the visible spectrum.
That means when light in roughly that range reaches your eyes, your brain interprets it as “red.”
Biology
Your retina contains cone cells that respond to different ranges of light. Red strongly stimulates the “long-wavelength” cones (often called L-cones), and the brain combines those signals into the experience of redness.
Psychology
Red tends to grab human attention quickly. It is commonly associated with:
danger
urgency
passion
warmth
power
That’s why stop signs, warning lights, hearts, and sports cars are often red.
Culture
Different cultures attach different meanings to red:
In many Western contexts: love, warning, intensity
In parts of Asia: luck, celebration, prosperity
In religion and mythology: sacrifice, vitality, life force, or royalty
Philosophy
Some philosophers use red as an example of a qualia — the private inner feeling of experience.”
– AI
Finally, a point to make my useless point
“You can measure wavelengths scientifically, but the actual experience of “what red looks like” exists only in consciousness.
Even if two people both call something “red,” we can not directly prove they internally experience it the exact same way.”
– AI
It is if AI was reading my prepared post.
So that I may “know” the “truth”
Still, it presented back
Nothing representing “red”
“All of that
Which has reality
Has no basis
In reality, “
– Angelo Devlin
Very fascinating post. It is amazing that any of us can communicate at all. How do we know when we overlap in meaning? Is it like horseshoes – close enough?
I guess this is one reason why it’s important to listen and not imagine that I already understand what is being said.
You’re a wise teacher. I bow to you.
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By the way, I just saw this: https://silverbirchpress.wordpress.com/2026/05/07/call-for-submissions-words-of-advice-poetry-prose-series-deadline-06-30-26/
Given your words are so often poetry, and even more often words to the wise, it seemed like a good match.
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