The second largest circulated daily newspaper in the country, USA TODAY, last week's front page read RECESSION IS OVER. Good for them. Is that the truth or is it reality - both or neither? Unfortunately, there is a big difference between truth and reality. A thesaurus states: TRUTH - fact, honesty, certainty. REALITY - realism, actuality. See the difference? Okay, I'll sadly explain.
As much as we would all like truth to rule our lives, it doesn't. But REALITY does. Sucky, but good example: O.J. Simpson murdered his ex-wife. That was the truth. A jury, listening to clever lawyers, said he was innocent. Reality? Simpson went home. Moral to story? Reality is real and what makes the world go 'round.
In an election, is it what people think is the truth or what is the truth? We all know the answer. When we feel sick and need medication, do we buy a drug that is advertised on TV and in slick magazines and the provider is a public company driven by profits? Or do we Google it and seek the truth, maybe an inexpensive natural herb that does the job without any side effects? Which is the truth and which is reality?
Sadly, the answer is not necessarily the truth. Reality is what it is - not always the truth. And reality is always what the majority of what people think - not always the truth.
So, is the recession really over? If you accept the definitions of truth and reality, then the important thing is what people believe, and if enough of them believe the USA TODAY headline, then the ones out of work will start looking for jobs, and the ones who have been sitting and waiting - they'll aggressively go back to work and make things happen. That means that we'll all survive and grow whether the recession is really over or not. What do you think? What are you going to do? Your call!
Roland Hopkins is the founder of the New England Real Estate Journal, Norwell, Mass.