Vinaire's Blog

The word TRUTH comes from an Old English word which meant “fidelity”.  Truth has to do with “consistency”.

Truth is the recognition of something “as it is”. 

A person comes across a door. He looks at the door and says, “It is a door.”  He is speaking a truth.  But when he looks at the door and says, “It is a wall.”  He has altered that truth.  Suppose it is a wall with a secret door built into it.  The existence of the door is not so obvious that it can be discovered easily.  So the person looks at it and says, “It is a wall.”  From his viewpoint that is the truth.  Now somebody else comes along and tells him that there is a secret door.  This person may not be convinced at first, but when he examines it and discovers that he can, in fact, walk through that “wall” to the other side, he gets a better understanding of what is there.  He attains a higher level of truth. Thus, TRUTH is not just black and white.  There are many dimensions to truth.

The clearer is the perception of “what is there” the higher is the level of truth.  Clarity comes from perceiving something in detail and in “depth”.

A general statement, such as, “The organization is all rickety,” obviously, lacks detail.  An acceptance of this statement as “true” can lead to incorrect conclusion, and wrong action, as one makes up for the lack of detail by preconceived notions.  Thus, a belief in generalities, such as, “My religion is the only true religion,”  “All other religions are false,”  “All man are evil,”  “All women are to be despised,”  “White race is superior,” would always lead to conflicts to which there would be no resolution.

Any general statement, therefore, would consist of a low level of truth.  A generality must always be examined carefully for missing details without assuming anything if one is interested in discovering the truth.

An observation, such as, “Sun, moon, and stars, all go around the earth, and therefore earth is at the center of the universe,” is quite superficial. It ignores many other observations which led Copernicus to observe that “it is the earth and other planets which revolve around the sun.”  Galileo was condemned by the religious authorities of his time for making this declaration.  Thus, superficial observations and beliefs tend to ignore seemingly contradictory observations which do not fit into the existing belief system.  Such beliefs, therefore, would also consist of a low level of truth.

If contradictions are observed, one must reexamine one’s beliefs if one is interested in discovering the truth.

An exact truth is determined by the person who created it.  A liar knows that he is lying because he created the “lie” at the first place.  He knows the truth about the “lie”.  Others look and see only the “lie”.  The “lie” persists as long as the underlying truth is hidden.  As soon as the truth is exposed a resolution takes place.  Thus, the following is a very sound test of truth.

If a problem, or conflict, is persisting, the underlying truth is not known. If the underlying truth were known, the problem, or conflict, will not persist.  It would disappear.

Is truth subjective? The answer is that there is no truth in the absence of awareness. What is observed has only a relative level of truth. If something is persisting, there is a higher level of truth underlying it which is not yet observed.

A wall is made up of molecules. Molecules are made up of atoms. Atoms are made up of nucleus with electrons buzzing around. Nucleus is made up of protons and neutrons. Over ninety-nine percent of an atom is empty space. The neutrons, protons, and electrons are a condensed form of energy. Energy is motion which is condensed in less and less space to appear as a particle. A motion is a change in space. And what is space? Space is a viewpoint of dimension.

After you understand all this and look at that wall, you may say, “What wall?” Thus, truth is covered by appearances to the degree generalities are enforced, and awareness is denied.

The problem with truth reduces to the problem of attachment to what one already believes in without understanding.

But, no person’s perception of truth should be condemned just because it is different from yours, because truth, as known in this universe, is never absolute.  Truth is always subject to a viewpoint.  The absolute truth may be termed God, but a belief in “God”, as it exists, has been subject to viewpoints.  God is infinite and so is Truth.  A finite belief is no substitute for an understanding of the Infinite.

Effort of each person should always be to strive for higher levels of truth without making others wrong.

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Glossary

Truth

1. Origin: “fidelity.” Truth has to do with “consistency”.
2. Truth is the recognition of what is there. The clearer is the perception of “what is there” the higher is the level of truth. A generality must always be examined carefully for missing details without assuming anything if one is interested in discovering the truth.

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