My defining of truth will use methods unlike those of Bacon as I would like to define truth in a more personal sense.  Truth is both a quest and the result of a quest.  Humans are never quite sure if we are able to attain truth, but feel that we are on the right path as long as we try to be as truthful as possible.  Over time, both Eastern and Western cultures have envisioned these imagined places of “Heaven” and “Satori.”  Although the ways of getting to these places may seem different in comparison to one another, each also connotes having a certain mindset when the goal is obtained.  Truth in religion, therefore, is a mindset that is an absolute goal.
For artists and writers of all sorts, expounding upon truth has long been popular.  To do so makes not only the professor of truth feel as if she or he is in a state of goodness, but also the audience to which she or he writes or performs.
Truth can be attained, but it takes a great deal of courage for one to attain the state of truth.  Truth can be painful; to see the truth in the world and in others, one must first see the truth in her or his self.  Seeking truth may involve the contest of traditions and old rituals that the majority does not wish to have questioned.  Without truth and the courage needed to obtain it, the world would seem void of light.  (Light is also sometimes representative of truth).
The simplest way to note the importance of truth is to view it in the spectra of religious and cultural history.  Would people still follow Jesus, Mohommed, Buddha, Confucius and the wisdom of their own ancestors had they not placed an underlined importance on honesty?  Wouldn’t social evils such as slavery and war exist in more continual frequency?  Without truth and vision, wouldn’t people become detached from their families, obsessed with only money?  Perhaps modern culture, therefore, is not outwardly expressive of truth.  Go to the movies, though, or read a contemporary novel like Stephen King’s The Stand.  These modern art works call for truth and understanding, and through that almost all pieces of contemporary film work and literature conclude.