Truth vs. Fact

After reading this essay I felt like crying. There was this intense sadness that enveloped me, and while I thought the act of crying itself would not help, and while I do not cry often, there were shadows of tears in my eyes, threatening to spill out. When Pico Iyer says in his interview that "a writer has to be accountable to the truth, and catching the truth of any situation is his first mandate" I think this is understood, while being vague at the same time. Non-fiction, and writing in general, should be truthful, as well as factual, though the two can be confused, like Iyer goes on to explain. "But the truth is not the same as the facts...I think the writer has to be true to the mystery as well as the clarity of life." I adore the second part of this statement, finding it invigorating and completely capturing the task of a writer. The Karheef follows Iyer's criteria in the way he describes the places and people as accurately as possible, yet still gives the essay more. This is where fact is not enough, and the idea of being true to the situation is realized in its entirety. He creates a world were he allows himself to fit into the reality; instead of focusing the piece on himself, he folds himself into the story. Also, when he tells the stories of the ticket clerk and the old man driving him to the capital, there is a subtle truth to his writing that allows the reader to be drawn in and see the reality within the reality. You can write about the reality of a situation, but the thoughts, feelings, and senses that create the truth capture the reality within the reality. The conclusion of the piece is the final attempt to be truthful with the reader, as his statements are true, but his comments on them are even more so. The facts are that "less than six weeks later...two planes flew into the World Trade Center" and "Aden, everyone now recalled, was the site of the most recent terrorist attack on America." The truth is when he reflects on the people he encountered and how their lives were impacted and how we now are "wishing destruction on them all." I think Iyer's meaning is that facts take the story a long way, but truth is what makes it extraordinary and creates something for the readers to hold onto and apply to their reality. I can apply this to my reality and see that, like Iyer says, we are them and they are us, and that people are people everywhere. I know that this piece made me think and reflect, taking more away than if it were just fact. Indeed, truth along with fact make a piece complete.