“God is love.”

— 1 John 4:8

Love and truth are objective realities that manifest in and through subjective human experiences. They’re not merely private sentiments but observable forces with measurable effects on brain, behavior, and social life. In the Western world, we will treat hunger, trauma, pain, fear, and pleasure as real phenomena, study them even (marketing sure does), but seem to leave out Love and Truth. While science relies on correspondence truth, this article’s focus is on the ontological reality of Truth, which is then manifested through existential truth. In other words, Truth as a reality of being, and as something you can be and live in, not something you can control or simply find somewhere.

A social worker recently shared he couldn’t accept the idea that there was, in fact, “Truth,” despite his name appearing on several peer-reviewed papers. Institutional Christianity can be just as guilty, or more so, than the sciences. Christians assume there is truth, while ignoring the same science they depend on: from technology and biology to quoting other humans and marketing to other humans. Just to be able to function in a career path or college course requires the Christian to swallow more truth than Christendom has modeled. Church communities can ignore truth just as much as the people they point fingers at; there is no “side” innocent here, and that’ part of the point. We can all become the older, self-righteous brother, still enslaved to his entitlement (Luke 15:28-32).

Love and truth are not merely poetic abstractions or sentimental aspirations; they are the bedrock of all human existence. We either exist in something true, or not at all: and we either can learn to love it, ot choose to hate it. While each of us experiences these ideals through the lens of our own subjectivity, their objectivity and universality are undeniable. They exist, and we have to exist with them. If we claim love and truth are relative or illusory, we deny not just their existence but the entire foundation of human connection, growth, and meaning. And, if I may, it’s simply circular reasoning for avoiding responsibility and vulnerability.

This isn’t a message the modern world has easily embraced. It’s sprinted in the opposite direction, like the Prodigal, and in doing so, has reached its telos (“end”). Love was often reduced to fleeting emotions or neurochemical reactions, and truth was dismissed as relative, bent to the whims of personal experience or cultural norms. Yet, the deeper you dig into philosophy, consciousness, psychology, theology, or your own lived experience, the more you find evidence that love and truth are not only real but essential, observable, and inescapable. You may even realize your whole life has been spent trying to navigate these two, seemingly simple, non-negotiables.

Love and Truth are not mere lofty ideals, but rather ways of being. One must sacrifice false alternatives to become them. We are loving and truthful, or we are not. The miracle of the Gospel is that we can, in fact, be free from our sinful darkness and transformed into children of light into the kingdom of His loved Son (Ephesians 5:8; Colossians 1:13). It’s about living in alignment with the reality of love and truth as forces that guide and shape our lives. Both demand honesty, humility, and courage; qualities often in short supply in an age of instant gratification, ego, blame, and manipulation. If selfishness and deception are recognized as objective realities, why should we doubt the reality of their opposites? How could we?

This is the paradox we must confront: the same sciences and philosophies that expose our darkest tendencies also point us toward the light.

“The thing is to understand myself: the thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live and die.”

— Søren Kierkegaard, Journals of Kierkegaard

Objective Truth in a Subjective World

Critics may say “truth is only constructed,” but empirical practices (science, law, economies, daily coordination) presuppose some stable correspondence between statement and reality; otherwise, practical action collapses. Why read anything if the truth is simply constructed? Philosophically and practically, truth keeps working no matter how much we debate it. When a bridge is not actually load-bearing, anyone who treats its plans as true will drown.

So, “What is truth?” Pilate’s question to Jesus echoes through history, even from Neitzche’s lips. In an age of information overload, truth feels slippery, subjective, even disposable. Yet, at its core, truth remains objective. It aligns with reality, whether or not we acknowledge it. Pilate’s answer he was seeking, stood in front of him, ontologically¹. Jesus was true, and Pilate could have been too, just as every reader of that Gospel story can be, if we have the faith of a mustard seed.

Jordan Peterson frames truth as a functional orientation toward reality that makes meaning and action possible, a standard by which one tests beliefs against the exigencies of life. I don’t mind that, and I doubt I can offer better, but it still struggles to capture what Truth is.

Truth simply is what is, and not much else. It’s more a trait of the observer than the observed. It is only the conscious mind that can play such games to make Truth into something else. Human knowledge, spiritual searchings, and the sciences have been about humanity’s understanding as much Truth as possible. It is the thing we are trying to learn. We also need to finally learn to be true.

To live truthfully is to orient oneself toward what is real, even when it’s uncomfortable or painful. Carl Jung, too, emphasized the necessity of truth in navigating life, warning that ignoring reality leads to psychic disintegration. In Man and His Symbols, Jung writes: “We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate; it oppresses.” Truth, then, is not just a moral ideal—it is a psychological necessity.

Truth is more than facts; it is also the truthful relationships between the facts and the participants. The measurable biological effects are evidence of the brain’s receptivity to an objective reality. Neuroscience shows us that humans are hardwired for connection, which depends on authenticity and trust. When we align with truth in our relationships, we build stability and mutual respect. Deception, on the other hand, leads to disconnection and fragmentation—a reality explored extensively in attachment theory and trauma studies.

Søren Kierkegaard argued that truth must be personal, not in the sense of relativism but in the sense of lived alignment. “The thing is to find a truth which is true for me, to find the idea for which I can live and die.” For Kierkegaard, objective truth gains its full power only when it is lived authentically.

Kierkegaard’s insistence that truth must be “true for me” points to the existential requirement of lived alignment; Jung’s clinical admonition, “we cannot change anything until we accept it,” names the psychological mechanism by which truth becomes psychological health. These thinkers don’t collapse truth into feeling; they insist Truth must be embodied to liberate the person.

The Universality of Love

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy… ”

— Brené Brown, Daring Greatly

Love, like truth, is often dismissed as a subjective feeling or social construct. Yet, love has objective characteristics that transcend individual experience. The New Testament’s teaching on agape love redefines it in such a way that it is inescapably objective: love like Jesus loved us when we hated Him. Love like God loves us, and become like Him. As God is love, and we are made in His image, we are to be loving to all of Creation.

Love is the unconditional acceptance of reality and a posture towards its well-being. How else could we stomach Truth? Love is more than a fleeting emotion; it is a biological, psychological, and spiritual reality.

Neuroscientific studies show that love activates specific neural pathways, releasing neurotransmitters like oxytocin and dopamine, which foster trust, connection, and joy. But love’s reality goes beyond brain chemistry. Brene Brown, in Daring Greatly, emphasizes that love is rooted in vulnerability and courage. Her research demonstrates that love is not just a feeling but an act of will—a choice to show up, connect, and be seen.

Functional neuroimaging links experiences of romantic and parental love to a reproducible brain network. The medial insula, anterior cingulate, caudate, and striatum are regions tied to decision making, reward, motivation, and social bonding. Studies manipulating oxytocin (a social neuropeptide) show causal effects on trust and affiliation in humans, while reviews of oxytocin work connect the peptide to synchrony in attachment relationships (Bartels, A. & Zeki, S). Together, these findings make love legible to science: it is not mere poetry but confirmed by biological and social processes.

Philosophy and theology have long echoed these findings. Augustine defined love as caritas—selfless, unconditional goodwill. For Augustine, love was not merely an emotion but the very essence of God’s nature, reflected in human relationships. Nietzsche, though critical of traditional morality, recognized the transformative power of love. In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, he writes: “What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.” Even for Nietzsche, love was a force that transcended petty human constructs, aligning us with something greater.

But love is not easy. It requires humility, self-sacrifice, and truth. To love deeply is to risk pain, rejection, and loss. Yet, the alternative—living without love—is a greater tragedy. Avoiding love is a form of death. Viktor Frankl, in Man’s Search for Meaning, observed that even in the horrors of a concentration camp, love provided a source of meaning and resilience. Frankl wrote, “The salvation of man is through love and in love.”

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

— St. Augustine

The Science of Human Connection

The objective reality of love and truth is increasingly supported by scientific research. Neuroscience reveals that acts of love and truth-telling engage specific regions of the brain associated with reward, connection, and moral reasoning. These findings affirm that love and truth are not merely subjective experiences but observable phenomena with measurable effects.

Attachment theory, beginning with John Bowlby’s clinical and evolutionary account and Mary Ainsworth’s observational work, links caregiver reliability (consistency of words and actions) to secure attachment across childhood and later relational health. Large syntheses and reviews confirm that early caregiver sensitivity predicts children’s emotional regulation and relational confidence across cultures. In short, truth-aligned caregiving correlates with durable capacity for trust. Manipulation and authoritarianism, on the other hand, lead to anxious or avoidant attachment styles, often perpetuating cycles of mistrust and disconnection in the next generation of parents.

Secure attachment depends on truth-aligned caregiving (consistency, reliability, which is truth in action) and unconditional acceptance (which is love). However, there is a Western perception here that still enables and pathologizes insecure attachment. Tao Buddhism teaches families to be sure they don’t encourage “attachment” (dependency). Jesus teaches us that our Father is a perfectly good father, with plenty of parables to drive His point, and us, home.

Case studies in psychology further illuminate these dynamics. For example, experiments in moral reasoning have shown that individuals who prioritize truth and integrity experience greater mental clarity and emotional stability. While projective therapy and toxic campaigning have proven to cause as much damage as the good they try to cause (cf. The Drama of The Gifted Child). We can make people “need” us, normalizing ideologies and pathologies that are illogical and unnecessary. And, all the while, still be on a road of good intentions. Conversely, those who rely on deception and manipulation often suffer from cognitive dissonance, guilt, and relational breakdowns. When the egoic king/queen-child runs the show, they are their own god, and everyone lives in their shadow.

These findings echo the teachings of Jesus, who emphasized the inseparability of love and truth. He declared, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Freedom, in this context, is not mere autonomy but the liberation that comes from living in alignment with reality.

The Cost of Denial

“We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate; it oppresses.”

— Carl Jung

If love and truth are so foundational, why do we resist them? The answer lies in fear. We fear the vulnerability that love requires and the accountability that truth demands. It is easier to cling to lies, to manipulate others, to avoid difficult conversations. But this avoidance comes at a cost.

Nietzsche identified this tension in his critique of modernity. He argued that humanity’s greatest weakness is its refusal to confront hard truths. In The Gay Science, he wrote, “Sometimes people don’t want to hear the truth because they don’t want their illusions destroyed.” This tendency toward self-deception leads to what Kierkegaard called “despair,” the sickness unto death that arises from living inauthentically.

The denial of love and truth does more than harm individuals; it fractures families, communities, and societies. Look at the rising rates of loneliness, depression, anxiety, addiction, and distrust in our world. These are not merely personal issues; they’re symptoms of a long collective failure to live in alignment with love and truth.

“Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared with love in dreams.”

— Fyodor Dostoevsky

Reclaiming Love and Truth

To reclaim love and truth is to embrace both their beauty and their difficulty. It means acknowledging our own selfishness, narcissism, and fear—and choosing to rise above them. It means daring to love when it feels risky and speaking truth when it feels costly.

This journey begins with self-examination. Carl Jung famously said, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” To live authentically, we must confront our own shadows—the lies we tell ourselves, the fears we hide from, and the wounds we refuse to heal.

Self-awareness alone is not enough. It is the beginning, though. It’s in that space between stimulus and reaction that freedom and change can be found. And that’s when we must also act for it to become a reality in and around us. This is what some call “magic,” and I like to call “faith.” Love and truth are not static ideals; they are lived realities. To love is to forgive, to serve, to sacrifice. To live truthfully is to align one’s words and actions with reality, even when it is inconvenient or painful.

This is not easy work, but it is transformative. When we live in alignment with love and truth, we experience deeper relationships, greater peace, and a sense of purpose that transcends our circumstances.

“Love is the drive toward the reunion of the separated. Every love is a desire for reunion—spiritual and psychic and, in some respects, biological.”

— Paul Tillich

An Irreducible Conclusion

To embrace love and truth is to align oneself with reality—to live authentically, to connect deeply, and to build a world rooted in trust and compassion. This is not merely a philosophical or theological vision; it is an attainable reality, supported by science, history, and our own lived experiences.

This is the ultimate, inescapable act of faith: to live as if reality matters, to love the world as it truly is, and to align our very being with the Truth that not only sets us free but makes us whole. The Kingdom is not an idea, but a way of living. To live in truth is to accept reality and to act on it; to love is to risk being honest and real, and to make another’s good visible.

Suggested readings:

• Brown, B. Daring Greatly.
• Miller, Alice. The Drama of the Gifted Child.
• Frankl, V. Man’s Search for Meaning.
• Bartels, A. & Zeki, S. “The neural basis of romantic love.” NeuroReport / Nature Neuroscience (2000).
• Kosfeld, M., et al. “Oxytocin increases trust in humans.” Nature (2005).
• Feldman, R. “Oxytocin and social affiliation in humans.” Hormones and Behavior (2012).
• Bowlby, J. Attachment and Loss, Vol. 1: Attachment (1969).
• Jung, C. G. Modern Man in Search of a Soul.
• Kierkegaard, S. Robert Bretall (Editor). A Kierkegaard Anthology. (1973).

Footnote:

1. Ontology (“the study of being“) is a branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature of being, existence, or reality itself. In the context of Christian theology, it refers to a reality that exists fundamentally, independent of human thought, feeling, or cultural construction. God, the “I am,” is the ultimate “being.” ↩︎