Hi shyspook and Ingrid,
Thanks for your great posts and poem.
Personally, I believe there must be an underlying, objective reality which is entirely independent of human beliefs. For example, there was a time when the consensus was that the Earth was flat and at the center of the universe. Did that belief make it true? Likewise, there is a signficant portion of our current population who believe in Santa Claus and a certain red-nosed reindeer. Does that guarantee their existence? From these simple examples, one can roughly define "truth" as being that which is so despite what anyone believes about it. Of course, that doesn't mean that we are anywhere near to understanding the truth about our universe and existence today. For all we know, our current best grasp of objective reality may be as flimsy as a child's handle on Santa Claus. Nevertheless, in order for us to approach that truth, we have to first acknowledge it exists outside of ourselves, independent of us.
HF
