Truth
As some of you know, I've spent a really long time wrestling with faith. With what I believe in. Today, on the train home from LA, I started writing. It was a revelation unravelling as I wrote. I want to share what I've realized, what I believe, how I choose to live my life.
This isn't a religious text, there's no doctrine or dogma. Just philosophy. I think I've composed something good here. This is the first time I've been able to put my finger on my beliefs and translate it into words. It reads like an introduction to a faith or a spirituality (god willing though, not like a cult *wink*), which I guess in a way it is. I'm not trying to convert anyone or anything arrogant like that, I just want to share this. If it does resonate with you, feel free to join in.
I stress though, that this is really to explain what I believe, and how I feel. This is just the first time I found the words for it. I apologize if the tone sounds religious, a side effect of a Catholic upbringing I guess :-) It's a philosophical document and nothing more.
It's what I believe. Welcome to Truthseeking.
Seeking Truth
There is much in our world that we do not know. There are things that we may never know, and perhaps are not meant to. We think we know much, but the sum of our knowledge amounts to little more than a cup of water in the ocean. No one among us can know more than but a few drop of water, but combined a few drops of water can become an ocean unto itself.
And so it falls to each of us, two duties; to learn what truths we may and to share those truths. We will never know the face of the Divine, nor it's Divine Truth. But we each may discover fragments, small pieces of the puzzle. And it is in these pieces, these drops of knowledge, in these Little Truths that we find our purpose.
Everyday of our lives we are exposed to these Little Truths, though we are not always aware of them. And so we must attune ourselves to them, we must desire them, we must seek them and then we must share them. We must become Truthseekers.
We must open ourselves to truth and we must open ourselves to each other. In all things we must find truth.
And the First Truth is this: There are many Truths.
And the Second Truth is this: The Truth of one may not be the Truth of others.
We must discard illusion, we must abandon falsehoods, we must strive towards absolute truth.
And the Third Truth is this: We will at times fail.
But there is no shame in failing, on in not trying. We are weak and fragile beings, despite our best efforts and intentions. We know our limitations and weaknesses, and we must try to overcome them. We will never be perfect, and though we know we will sometimes fail, we must try nonetheless.
Though there are many Truths and though the Truth of one may not be the Truth of all, we must acknowledge Universal Truths, Truths that must be held as true for all.
All are free
All have the right to love
All have the right to live
All have the right to be happy
All have the right to think and speak freely
All have the right to disagree
All must choose for themselves and bear sole responsibility for their choices
Truths must be examined, for not all Truths are eternal
Some Truths must be discovered on our own
These Truths are listed in no priority, for all are equal. At times, me must sacrifice a part of our rights for the greater good and for greater Truths, but that choice falls upon each of us at it's own time and only we may make that choice.
In the course of our lives we are shown many Little Truths, and it is our duty and joy to find them and share them. It is through this sharing that we uncover more Truths. But as the Second Truth says, the Truth of one may not be the Truth of all, and so we all must only take the Truths that sound in our hearts, that resonate in our souls, those are our Little Truths, which may someday lead us to the Divine Truth.
You may call the Divine by what you will, by which Truth is yours. What matters is not the name by which we call the divine, but merely to strive for it. Truth is a journey, not a destination.
And while on that journey take with you a book, a journal, a Book of Little Truths. On the first page write the Three Truths and the Universal Truths and in the rest record your Little Truths. Take them wherever you may find them, for Truth is everywhere. Share your Little Truths, that others may benefit from what you have learned. Discuss your Truths, examine them and if need be, discard them. And perhaps someday, when we have gathered all the Little Truths, we may glimpse the Divine.
I do not claim to have all the answers and I do not claim to know anything beyond what I have seen and learned. I only have my Little Truths.
This isn't a religious text, there's no doctrine or dogma. Just philosophy. I think I've composed something good here. This is the first time I've been able to put my finger on my beliefs and translate it into words. It reads like an introduction to a faith or a spirituality (god willing though, not like a cult *wink*), which I guess in a way it is. I'm not trying to convert anyone or anything arrogant like that, I just want to share this. If it does resonate with you, feel free to join in.
I stress though, that this is really to explain what I believe, and how I feel. This is just the first time I found the words for it. I apologize if the tone sounds religious, a side effect of a Catholic upbringing I guess :-) It's a philosophical document and nothing more.
It's what I believe. Welcome to Truthseeking.
Seeking Truth
There is much in our world that we do not know. There are things that we may never know, and perhaps are not meant to. We think we know much, but the sum of our knowledge amounts to little more than a cup of water in the ocean. No one among us can know more than but a few drop of water, but combined a few drops of water can become an ocean unto itself.
And so it falls to each of us, two duties; to learn what truths we may and to share those truths. We will never know the face of the Divine, nor it's Divine Truth. But we each may discover fragments, small pieces of the puzzle. And it is in these pieces, these drops of knowledge, in these Little Truths that we find our purpose.
Everyday of our lives we are exposed to these Little Truths, though we are not always aware of them. And so we must attune ourselves to them, we must desire them, we must seek them and then we must share them. We must become Truthseekers.
We must open ourselves to truth and we must open ourselves to each other. In all things we must find truth.
And the First Truth is this: There are many Truths.
And the Second Truth is this: The Truth of one may not be the Truth of others.
We must discard illusion, we must abandon falsehoods, we must strive towards absolute truth.
And the Third Truth is this: We will at times fail.
But there is no shame in failing, on in not trying. We are weak and fragile beings, despite our best efforts and intentions. We know our limitations and weaknesses, and we must try to overcome them. We will never be perfect, and though we know we will sometimes fail, we must try nonetheless.
Though there are many Truths and though the Truth of one may not be the Truth of all, we must acknowledge Universal Truths, Truths that must be held as true for all.
These Truths are listed in no priority, for all are equal. At times, me must sacrifice a part of our rights for the greater good and for greater Truths, but that choice falls upon each of us at it's own time and only we may make that choice.
In the course of our lives we are shown many Little Truths, and it is our duty and joy to find them and share them. It is through this sharing that we uncover more Truths. But as the Second Truth says, the Truth of one may not be the Truth of all, and so we all must only take the Truths that sound in our hearts, that resonate in our souls, those are our Little Truths, which may someday lead us to the Divine Truth.
You may call the Divine by what you will, by which Truth is yours. What matters is not the name by which we call the divine, but merely to strive for it. Truth is a journey, not a destination.
And while on that journey take with you a book, a journal, a Book of Little Truths. On the first page write the Three Truths and the Universal Truths and in the rest record your Little Truths. Take them wherever you may find them, for Truth is everywhere. Share your Little Truths, that others may benefit from what you have learned. Discuss your Truths, examine them and if need be, discard them. And perhaps someday, when we have gathered all the Little Truths, we may glimpse the Divine.
I do not claim to have all the answers and I do not claim to know anything beyond what I have seen and learned. I only have my Little Truths.