What's Really True...When Lies are Easier to Understand than Frijoles!

soyLulu
Jan 6
5 min read

The concept of Truth is the subject of our first post for 2026. It 's our way of throwing a chingaso at the political system and naysayers of love for humanity.

We are philosophical in a Yoda kinda way about the Truth - "Fear is the Path to the Dark Side."

So what is the Truth? When social media pundits and greedy politicians have trampled on the concept of truth.

When did catch phrases like "fake news" and "alternative facts" become acceptable for what is true or false? And why should the truth be considered a concept? Isn't Truth black and white? Simply true or false? Sorry, Captain Obvious, the Truth ain't that easy to see.

When delving into a philosophical notion like the Truth, we should at least quote one of our greatest truth-tellers, Alfred E. Neuman. He said it best, when describing the state of world affairs, "What Me Worry?"

His trademark catchphrase reflected a nonchalant attitude towards potential criticism and stupid shit around him. But he wasn't lying, he was speaking the Truth about himself.

Como dice in the hood, "Me Vale Madre!" (I don't give a damn!) is also Raza barrio slang for "What Me Worry."

That's why we admire Sr. Alfredo. He has been speaking the truth since 1952, and, thankfully, gave us "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions" to help us navigate our life journey.

Me Vale Madre, also happens to be OUR mission statement at PuroChisme. We are on a mission to disrupt the conventional wisdom and don't care about what other people think. This happy disclaimer describes our confidence and self-possessed attitude toward life and truth-seeking. Órale Sr. Alfredo!

Truth has been a topic of discussion for thousands of years. According to historical records, the first significant discussions about the concept of "truth" can be traced back to the ancient Greek philosophers, particularly Plato and Aristotle; with Aristotle's work often cited as the earliest articulation of the "correspondence theory of Truth."

The correspondence theory suggests that Truth is determined by how accurately a statement reflects the actual state of affairs in the world.

For Aristotle and Plato, their notions of Truth were based on the world as it was in ancient times.

Today, our world is profoundly interconnected, brimming with competing economies, religions, and differing cultural and social norms.

So how can we discern the Truth today? Is it reflected in the news, social media, or in art forms, like music and theater?

Of course, it is, but not always. You get closer to the Truth if you have Snopes, FactCheck, or the SciCheck sites for verifying the facts of what is being said or written.

Checking facts helps separate some of the BS beliefs, like the Flat Earth, pendejos! But who has time for researching that? Instead, we naturally gravitate to facts or online sites that confirm what we already believe. So OUR facts must be true because we looked them up, que no?

No, tonto! One of the mandates that Aristotle and Plato practiced for discerning Truth was to ask questions. Questioning ourselves, others, and engaging in debates gave rise to an understanding of man's search for the meaning of Life, Love, and happiness. Wisdom is Truth, lived and experienced with others.

Unfortunately, some lonely monk, rabbi, priest, inmate, or hobo are no closer to understanding Truth than the rest of us staring at our phone or computer screens! You see, to know the Truth, you must live in it with others!

Professor Dallas M. Roark, in his treatise, Introduction to Philosophy, argues, "Truth can't be created. It is found, partly by the senses, partly by the intellect. A proposition that was not true before it was discovered could never become true by being discovered." Like Harry Potter's Philosopher's Stone. It ain't real!

Professor Roark continues, "Hence truth is an ideal at the base of all search and research."

Confused? That's OK. Truth is not a simple thing to define. But after reflecting for countless hours en chinga, con una botella de mescal...we finally figured it out!

We'll use our famous PuroChisme allegory, "Olla de frijoles," to explain the concept of truth for the question: What makes a good pot of beans?

You know that Beans exist. You also remember how they taste. These are the beginnings of finding the truth.

But you may not know the essential ingredients or how to cook them. Does that make your Olla de frijoles belief a lie or a fact? Neither ese! For some of our beloved, pero poquito menso, (slow) readers. We'll provide this frijole allegory:

If we ask five Mexican women their recipe for making frijoles, will all the ingredients be the same?

Do they prepare them the same way or a little bit differently?

Why ask five? Isn't three easier to ask?

Yes, pero this is the only foto we had!

Do they leave the beans overnight in water to cut down on the pedos?

Wash them at least three times before cooking?

Does the difference in preparation make the frijoles in one bowl less correct (true) than those in another?

When you add cilantro, onion, and chopped jalapeños, does that change the frijoles into a caldo (soup)?

You see, when we analyze and question our beliefs about frijoles or any topic or issue, we can see discrepancies and irrationality more clearly. We sense the larger picture surrounding the discussion of making beans. Ultimately, we find the Truth when we eat them.

Likewise, we gather knowledge through our senses, observation, and discussion with others about a topic. Do we do this same critical thinking exercise with societal events, tragedies, and political conundrums? Or watch our favorite TV news or podcast for the real truth? Worse, ignore the world and lose ourselves in the wonderland of gambling, online gaming, and sci-fi movies.

We should treat what we read on the internet or see on TV like a bowl of frijoles. If we don't like the taste, throw it out and make a new Olla de Frijoles.

If we can verify the truth behind what makes a great pot of beans, why can't we discern the truth about health care, climate change, and immigration policies?

Can there be more than one Truth about a bowl of frijoles? Si mon, que Yes! Unless we turn them into frijoles frijitos (refried beans). Then it's anybody's guess.

Those mashed-up beans will be like our nation's politics - intensely fried with no discernible solutions.

Let's start a new Pot-of-Beans by discovering the Truth in all we read, see, and hear this year!