The Truth will set you free! I am the way, the light and the Truth! Do you promise to tell the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth? The Truth, you couldn’t handle the Truth.
Why are we searching for the Truth? Are we really searching for the Truth or is this a lie we perpetuate so that we can sound noble? Or are we deceiving ourselves like the fools that we send on a “snipe” hunt, looking for a mythical being that does not exist. Is this thing called Truth the Holy Grail or is it an illusion, a phantasmagoria that so called wise men have set over us to keep us mystified and confused. Does anyone really know what the Truth is? Does anyone really care?
Perhaps we can find the Truth by using some examples and working backwards from them to discern what this esteemed creature we call Truth really is?
Let’s start with a mathematical truth. 2+2=4.
Here it would appear we have found one Truth. We can demonstrate this, we can replicate this and it is the same in China as it is in Honduras. It is even useful. Based on such a simple Truth we can build computers or balance a budget or send a human being to the moon. So if we have found Truth, why are we still searching? What is it humans need to know that mathematics is not good for? “An easy answer, this is I think” says Yoda. We want to know who murdered the butler. When will it rain next? What is the meaning of life? Will I marry a rich man or a poor man? What career field should I go into? The list of questions that cannot be answered by mathematics is legion, thus we continue to seek Truth to other questions that the mathematicians cannot solve.
In our quest for Truth, we turn to philosophy, religion, sociology, history, anthropology, psychology and even astrology. But all are found wanting. Ministers, gurus, professors, liars, cheats and management consultants all are willing to tell us the Truth for a price, a fee, a commission or a donation, but their answers still leave us searching for the Truth. Why? Is it simply a question of bad methods or bad teachers? The human race has been searching for the Truth since before Diogenes started searching for an honest man and still we find humans searching, searching, searching. From sweat lodges, to Zen Centers, to religious revival meetings, to a large bottle of brandy, we find a plethora of means to find Truth. But the next day, Truth seems to have fled. Few of us have ever captured Truth for more than a fleeting moment. Let’s try another example of Truth that I have heard quoted many times.
“What wisdom is there that is greater than kindness?” — J. J. Rousseau
In this moving quote, Rousseau suggests that human emotions are more powerful that wisdom, knowledge and facts about the world. The person who wins at Trivia Pursuit may lose at life. The person who achieves vast stores of diamonds, gold and jewels may be the most impoverished person on earth without the touch of a human heart. The most powerful ruler on earth is powerless when confronted by a human tear. Kindness is a universal that moves the world. Progress is made by kindness not by wisdom. But is this the Truth we are all seeking? Is this Truth enough to guide the world? Judging by the dearth of kindness in so many of us, it would seem to be a difficult truth to hold onto. And a Truth should be absolute, no exceptions, something we can all agree on. This quote, despite being quite profound, would not seem to meet the criteria we need for the Truth. Let’s try another example.
“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone – we find it with another”. – Thomas Merton
Merton, a noted Jesuit theologian reflects the Christian belief in the importance of love in our lives. Love yourself. Love your neighbor. Love one another. Love your enemy. Love those you do not even know. Love is the single most important commandment of God and Jesus. If you love others, your soul will be saved. Love is the most important element of Christianity. Such a simple Truth! Why then are so many still seeking. The Truth seems to be staring us in the face or is love like a diet? Most people start on a diet only to lose a little weight and then gain it back again. So we love a neighbor for a while and then go back to being greedy, selfish and mean-spirited? Then we start seeking again for a new diet or a new path to love? Perhaps a new person or a new job or a new place will help us find love? Truth becomes an eternal search for love and not a set of absolute values that we can never lose. Like the next diet, we are continually searching for something that we cannot hold onto, but everyone tells us is good for us.
So, is Truth an eternal infinite concept that permeates the universe and our humble lives and one we still have not found? Or is Truth just a process. The eternal search for something that we cannot hold onto; an elusive idea that just as soon as we think we have it, we inevitably begin to lose. And so our search for Truth starts all over again.
I ponder the many mysteries of existence. I quake at the problems in life I cannot solve. I stress over the mundane trivial issues that confront me daily. Then deep in the recesses of my mind, I start thinking about Truth. What is Truth? Where will I find it? How long must I seek? Can I find a shortcut? Is anyone out there who really knows the Truth? What will I do with it, if and when I find it?
In a short while, it’s time to watch a movie and forget about my search for Truth. It will rear its head again all too shortly. The local news will play it on endless reruns, lawyers on TV will adamantly declare that they have found it, Radio talking-heads will proclaim it nightly to their rapt and conscientious listeners, Wall Street brokers will sell it to you for a price and Madison Avenue pitchman will give you exclusive rights for no money down and low monthly payments. Search no further, Truth is yours to be had for the right fee. It won’t matter if you don’t know what it is, it’s cheap and disposable. Tomorrow you can go out and get some more Truth.
“It’s no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense.” — Mark Twain
Time for Questions:
What does Truth mean to you? Do you always tell the Truth? What Truth is most important to you? Have you found Truth or lost it? Do you search for Truth or is Truth irrelevant to you? When is it relevant? Why? Do you see a world with an abundance of Truth or a scarcity of Truth? Do we need more Truth?
Life is just beginning.
Aging Capriciously 