Philosophy and truth

I believe in an objective reality: I think that things are a certain way, independent of how we perceive them, and that there is an absolute Truth. In saying this, I don't mean to imply that my interpretation of reality is that Truth, but that such a Truth exists. I don't think I have perfect information, or that my reasoning is right, but simply that there is a Right.

I realize that there are philosophies that do not embrace this idea, but that portray a relative truth. I have had a hard time understanding how anyone believes in a philosophy that seems so contrary to reason, and so sometimes relativistic philosophies are frustrating to me. I maintain that an absolute Truth is the only logical conclusion (and I would be surprised if anyone could present a logical alternative), however, as I think about the actual question between truth as an absolute or as a relative thing, I realize that it is less simple than just whether there is a logical solution.

Ayn Rand explains in an essay called "Philosophy: Who needs it?" (which I won't quote directly because she's too long-winded to have any kind of nice summary statement) that a person needs a philosophy so that they are capable of acting in the world that surrounds them: so they are capable of living.

If the philosophies that we choose to believe are what enable us to act, then an accurate view of reality is not necessarily the primary concern when a person accepts a belief system. Rather, it is whether that belief helps the person live in a way that is acceptable to themselves. I think it's because of this that people tend to latch onto statements that are more pretty than they are true. Sometimes it doesn't matter if what a person believes is True, it only matter if it works for them. (Two of my favorite movies present this idea beautifully, but until today I don't think I appreciated that.)

I guess my point with this is that although the idea of an objective reality is important to me, and the idea of a Truth is something that I value, I can understand why some people choose to believe in a more relative idea of truth and reality. I admit, too, that sometimes it's frustrating or confusing for me to have such an idea of reality and truth, and that it is often difficult for me to reconcile things that I believe to be true but that appear to contradict each other, and so I also admit that there is a certain appeal to a belief system that doesn't require me to resolve such contradictions. I choose to believe in a Truth, even though that is sometimes confusing and frustrating to me, but I'll accept that not everyone makes the same choice, and that's ok for them.