I have had many conversations in the past few days about teachers and students, facts, positions of authority with microphones or platforms, emotions, anger, insults, and I could go on further. All of these led me to believe we were all ignorant to some extent. So I was going to do a post on ignorance, which Oxford’s Dictionary defines as “lack of knowledge or information”. But then last night someone said to me “no people are thinking and they need to stop”. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. People were trying to become knowledgeable and were seeking information, that that was not the problem. The problem was finding the truth.
But, what really is the truth?? In the conversations I have been having on a political level, I have learned that some get their facts from the communication level. They get them from people they trust, great orators, people in positions of power and authority, or people with nationwide or worldwide platforms. While others are skipping the communications channels and viewing historical documents, scientific research, and reading legislation. Is either side wrong? Neither side thinks they are. That is why we are so divided. Bringing us together will come when both sides are ready to realize that the truth is, both sides do not match. For example, if the orator says he is for universal health care, but then gives subsidies in his legislation to large private insurance companies – what is the truth? Or if an orator, does just the opposite says he is for free market health care, but then creates a monstrosity like Medicare – what is the truth? I do not even know how to answer that at this level, I am still searching for it everyday. But, I came to a conclusion that the truth begins with me looking internally and starting at the beginning.
Whether we believe that we were created by evolution, or by a higher power – A God, or both, I think really does not matter, as much as we realize that when we were created we had a balance of good and evil. I believe that the truth and our acceptance of it, lies in that balance between knowing what is right and what is wrong and knowing when we expel them both into the world. Take for instance when we help an elderly person across the road. We intrinsically know that it is not only right, but good, by the way it makes us feel like we have helped humanity is a small sense. Or on the opposite spectrum we yell at the waiter because our food is not cooked properly. We intrinsically know that it is not only wrong, but evil, also by the way it makes us feel at the end of the day. Did the waiter have anything to do with cooking our food? no. Did yelling at the waiter change anything? Did it make you feel good? Probably not. It probably took some time for the anger and disappointment to subside. When we start applying that thought process to our daily lives, I think we will find at minimal our own truth.
Once I started there and could recognize when I was knocking somebody down as opposed to lifting them up, then I could begin to recognize some of the conditioning and intolerance I had been taught, even self-taught. I was about to use the words “trust me”, but really trust yourselves. Instead, I will say in my experience sometimes awareness and recognition are not that easy to see or obtain is a better word. All I know for sure is it all begins with the choice I make to the side of the balance scale I want to go. And there in lies the first real truth. Where do we go from there? I do not know. But, my heart believes that the mass of humanity really just wants to be able to make that same choice for themselves everyday. But, the conditioning and indoctrinating is getting in the way. I will continue to hope that we all individually find a way to burn through that conditioning and indoctrinating to find our basic beginning truths. And that when we do we realize that that is what freedom is, the ability to choose our truth – for is that not what every person wants – to be free?
May we all search for the truth. The ones within ourselves, the ones in our daily lives, and the ones that effect the masses. I will continue my struggle to find it at all levels from now until I guess I depart this world. But one thing I can tell you for sure, is when you visit me here I will always express to you what I believe to be my truth no matter the subject. As I like to be the light in people’s lives and not the darkness, I will also try to make it on the good side of my scale, but I can not make any promises. Feel free to leave your thoughts. But know that someone’s truth may be coming off the evil side of their scale. Please try not to let it bother you, but to recognize it for what it is – their truth at that moment.
Stay steadfast in your journey. If you awaken one you awaken many. Should a self destructive path continue, when the time comes, those that are lost will be seeking us out for guidance! That is for certain!
This is an incredible response to this post and one I understand as I am on my own spiritual journey and path of self discovery and centerdness
I am going to add a comment based on a conversation I had the other day. Someone who does read my blog, and who had not yet read this post, said to me “we are a product of our environment and it is what it is” and I continued to say “yes, but we do not have to be”. In this, I am not sure if we were agreeing or choosing not to agree or what. Something did come out of the conversation for me though, that was that I think there are very real truths to both those statements. To his point, everything that makes me who I am – my biases, my flaws, my opinions, as well as, things I possess like strength, passion, intelligence, humor, and compassion, are all products of the environments I have been in whether by choice or not. And to my point, I think we can use that environment to not only be who we are, but to show us who we do not want to be as well. Maybe, answers lie in us recognizing who we are and living that truth while at the same time doing what we can to change our environments when we see that they are toxic or destructive. I continue to have hope, although somewhat diminished, that we can reach a place of compromise before it is too late. I am steadfast, however, in my thinking that we can learn from each other or put each other in a positive environment at a minimum. I am unsure of how I will continue to put light in peoples’ lives, yet I will do my best no matter what the topic to make that my goal.
I find truth to be so much bigger than anyone, group, entity, myself… Easier to see when I am honest about my biases, when I maintain a sense of humility. It changes when I attempt to claim it with self righteousness. Like all people, I am flawed. No matter how much truth I think I grasp there will always be uncertainty. If I can refrain from filling in the gaps with my bias assumptions the truth remains available. If I stumble into prejudice I can always go back. The universe is very prodigal in this way. Waiting patiently for me to come back to center.
Another great post of course! I find that a major component in that balance we speak of is to also respect others truths. We certainly don’t have to agree with one another but it is important not to lash out at someone else for their opinions. Each day we will be challenged to find this balance. Within ourselves personally and on grander public platforms. As I step outside the box and view all the recent catastrophic events one thing I have noticed is that in each scenario it brought the general populous together to assist and support one another out of love, necessity, and survival. There was no separation in those moments of asking are you a Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Constitutionalist, White Supremacist, Nazi, Jewish, etc. If it takes such catastrophy to show humanity the importance of love, compassion, understanding then I guess we will have to learn our lessons the hard way. There is so much sadness of the current state of affairs it is overwhelming at times. Hard on the mind and soul to fathom how we got here in the 1st place. I know it must begin with me to be more understanding, respectful, kind etc. I would love to see humanity on a more positive timeline. The only one who can begin that process is me.
I just spent 10 minutes commenting and a fb msg popped up i went to close it and lost it all. To make a long story short. I believe unless we witness it first hand, we will always be believing in someone else’s truth. From social media, news, documentaries and even the Bible, although that is a book I choose to believe. I agree with you Laura. Great blog.