What is Truth? – Part 1

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of
truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers,
and for a time,they can seem invincible, but in the end,
they always fall. Think of it–always.”

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Press play to hear an audio enhancement as you read.

 

History does prove that truth ultimately triumphs. But the mills of the Gods grind slowly. Meanwhile what’s our experience of truth?

What is Truth?

Time was when the truth was firmly anchored to “facts.” But here in the era of fake news, the line has blurred been fact and fiction. For many, the truth now relates to their convictions, impervious to analysis or counter opinions.

For those of us seeking a higher state of spiritual experience, what is truth to us? All of us have opinions and, especially when confronted by seemingly outrageous statements (obviously untrue) we can push back… that starts the argument. These days, polarization is at an all-time high and truth is now more anchored to partisan ambition.

In their book, Getting to Yes, authors Roger Fischer and William L. Ury offer a remarkably fresh perspective on mediating differences. They begin by succinctly describing the standard approach, which generally fails everyone. “Each side takes a position, argues for it, and makes concessions to reach an agreement.” 1

This style guarantees everyone loses something. Their alternative, hinted at in the book title, is to begin with an agreement about the intended result. Instead of positional bargaining, they establish a vision of what everyone wants and then work from their different positions towards that destination.

It seems obvious enough that this would be more effective. After all, consider heading out on a trip without knowing where you wanted to go! And it definitely helps if everyone in the car wants to go to the same place! Yet, in life, we often fail to identify a shared destination. Conflict ensues, inevitably.

What is our intended destination? We might start with ourselves; what do we want personally? Forgetting about big houses, shiny new cars, and the perfect relationship for a moment, what are our deeper desires? Peace, wisdom, love?

And what do we want in the world? Having identified what we want personally, we might notice that we probably want something very similar in the world. So, we already have a powerful insight to embrace: what we want for ourselves we also seem to want for others.

Next step, how do we get there? Here’s a phrase that might help: We experience what we express. In other words, if we want more peace, wisdom, and love – personally and for others – we can express those qualities … and experience them! Seems like magic. And what’s more, our expression of those qualities will likely inspire others to undertake their version of the same. That’s called “entrainment,” where one person’s personal energetic state influences another.

Following this exploration, we realize that “the Truth” is not actually anchored to any position. It’s not a mental concept or a belief. Truth is an experience, the reality of any moment, always aligned with universal truth. So, our actual “position” can always be the same, perhaps stated in these words: “I offer myself to the expression of universal truth.”

And what is this universal truth? Again, it’s not a concept, it’s an experience. We can look to nature, we can look to loving friendships, we can look to successful ventures that include everyone. Truth is not actually a mystery; it’s here, visible, right in the open… if we have eyes to see it, eyes that are not blinded by our conceptual positions.

What a stark contrast this presents in a world where lying has become a well-rewarded tactic. Some of us may be following the political soap opera here in the U.S. Here’s a recent comment about the President’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen: “Whatever his past may entail, Cohen’s attorney Lanny Davis insists his client is committed to doing the right thing.

“Cohen ‘has turned a corner in his life,’ Davis said in July, adding, ‘He’s now dedicated to telling the truth.’” 2

That’s a blunt admission that prior to this recent epiphany, Mr. Cohen was evidently not dedicated to telling the truth! Of course, he’s an attorney and attorneys do have an unfortunate reputation for bending the truth. Why? To win the case. Truth is a servant to that outcome and since everyone wants to win, the truth can appear very differently, depending on who is using it.

If we’re serious about representing a spiritually based alternative, we never have any position to defend, only this one position to share, complete with the invitation for all others to share our dedication to the expression and experience of Truth, rather than any of its contentious substitutes.

References:
1. Getting to Yes, by Roger Fisher and William L Ury
2. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/michael-cohen-plea-deal_us_5ad20bd8e4b0edca2cba4685