Truth to light
The eagle soars
New rebirth, a brand-new home.
From the ashes
new spirit rose.
Evil and lies
Burnt up, exposed.
Truth to Light
truth
The Four Sides of Truth
For the longest time, I have been hearing about how there are two sides to a story/situation/incident, and for the longest time I have never seen it that way. Perception is only one part of it. I think there are four earthly sides to the truth, and I say earthly because other dimensions/realms such as the divine/supernatural or space might alter that number, but that is another topic. However, since we all live on Earth let’s stick with the earthly realm for the purpose of this post.
Mostly, we are aware of the two sides of an argument or any situation – two points of view. As an example, two people are arguing about an incident represent those two points of view, and we usually assume that one is correct and the other is not – all in search of the truth in a situation. I believe there are four sides to truth in any situation. These are, Individual/group #1 side/point of view, Individual/group #2 side/point of view, The observer/witness #3 side/point of view, and #4 the raw incident (what truly happened without perception).
We process information in different ways, and our perception is influenced by many factors – culture, upbringing, beliefs, financial status, religion … and many more. This applies to #1,#2, and even #3 the witness/observer who only observes part of the interaction between #1 and #2, but lacks information or background prior an incident, so the witness relies on what he/she observes only. This three sides are influenced by the above mentioned factors. Side #4 – the raw incident – is closest to the truth. To illustrate this I will give a simple example involving three neighbors and a dog. Neighbor #2 happens to see Neighbor # 1 dog running loose earlier. Neighbor #3 is taking a walk and sees the dog running, and coming from neighbor #2 house. Neighbor # 2 steps outside and sees that his recently planted garden has been partially dug out. He goes to Neighbor #1 home and tells him how upset he is about the dog ruining his beautiful garden. A light argument erupts, and Neighbor #3 listens from his front yard. Neighbor #3 (the witness) assumes that because he saw the dog coming out of Neighbor #2 front yard the dog did it. Both neighbors, #2 and #3 think they know what happened. However, the truth (the raw incident as it is) is that Neighbor #2 garden has a mole problem. The little critters ruined the garden. In this example, all three people involved are far away from the truth, which has nothing to do with the dog, that by the way, happens to have a very clean nose and paws, but no one noticed.
As writers, we have the advantage of knowing the truth in our story (although sometimes, a twist we did not expect to write surprises us), and we are witness in a sense, however, omniscient when writing the story. We write from all sides.
Let’s Talk About Love
If I was to answer the question – What is the meaning of life? – I would answer it with one word, Love. Love is a main theme in my novels. I truly think that we are here to practice love, experience love, see love, give love, and eventually, become Love; all to be closer to our Creator. When I think about this, each one of us is a Love story in this universe. I think that animals and all nature exist as a portal to Love, so we don’t feel so removed from it. To truly love is not easy, but it is our deepest nature. Although some people might describe me as a loving person, in general, I think love doesn’t come easy to me. I’m a bit reserved and I don’t trust easily. I sincerely admire people who do, and seem to be heartily open to anyone. Some people seem to love so easily. I have to admit that through the years, after experiencing life – backstabbing, lies, people trying to use me, and seeing how humans turn against each other for the most frivolous and materialistic reasons, my trust diminished and my love is cautious.
One easy way to fall out of love a bit at a time is to watch the news everyday. It truly discourages any hope and faith we might have left, as far as the human race. Sometimes, it feels as if “the bad guys are winning,” to put it in simple words. Sometimes, love feels far away; other times, I wake up feeling as if the whole world hurts inside me. On other days, I wake up feeling the deepest love towards this planet and the people in it. It is puzzling to me. However I might feel in a particular day, one thing is very clear to me, and that is that Love is all there is, the universal truth, language, and reason. That, in itself, is reason enough to understand a bit of my existence. Love might or might not come easy to me or you, but we know that it is the purest expression, and something to cherish as well as to give away. If I could only say one prayer to my Creator it would be – Let me be love.
My next novel, which title I have not decide on yet, deals exclusively with the theme of love. I leave you with a few lines of poetry I wrote after thinking about this.
Where is the Love?
North, South, East, West
In search of love,
the Earth I swept.
*
Nothing I found, empty my quest
buried my heart,
deep in my chest.
*
To God I asked, feeling unrest
How can I love,
when there’s none left?
*
His voice I heard, Love in itself.
You did not see,
you only searched.
*
Didn’t you see Love everywhere?
Amongst the thorns, a flower bloomed
Asleep the seed under the moon?
*
For you, a bird sang,
the night gently cried,
diamonds for you, the morning dew.
*
The sun, the moon
the sea, the stars,
and the beat of your heart.
*
The song of creation, man, woman, and child
The seed deeply grows,
in everyone’s heart.
*
The newly born
A mother’s smile,
The hungry eating from another’s hand.
*
The tired old man on his death-bed sang,
the homecoming song,
ready to depart.
*
A man and his wife rebuilding a life,
A pastor at dawn,
Praying for his flock.
*
Infinite prayers from Earth fly above,
night and day I receive this love.
If you care to see, my child, you will see only Love.
Finding Peace in Who I Am
Peace – The absence of war or other hostilities. An agreement or treaty to end hostilities. (American Heritage Dictionary)
Peace. We like the word. We hope for peace on earth. We dream of peace. We pray for peace. However, we see peace as something outside ourselves. Something that happens in the outside. Seldom do we relate to peace within, or when we do, we attach it to spirituality.
According to the above definition of peace, the absence of war and hostilities is necessary to achieve peace. There must be an agreement, a treaty, for peace to be possible. To achieve peace within, the same agreement with oneself must happen, not out of spirituality, religious beliefs, or a third-party (although those could be a door/a catalyst for some people) but out of acceptance and understanding. How can I find peace in who I am? And without involving third parties?
It is a question I’ve asked myself many times. It is an evolving question. As individuals, we grow and evolve. We fight outside wars and inner battles. We deal with feelings, emotions, and facts. We dream, we imagine, we hope, we love, we hate … . We embrace complexity, many times in the quest for simplicity, in the search for truth. I’ve come to the realization that for truth to be found there must be inner peace, and for inner peace to be present, there must be acceptance and understanding of my self, of the one who I am, the one who grows and evolves.
How do I find peace in who I am? By not fighting the process. By not being at war or resisting the inevitability of evolution. By agreeing to take every step in the journey in acceptance and understanding. Whether the battle originates internally, or is a result of focusing on the fire being directed from outside sources, the only way to achieve peace is by looking at my truth objectively, and understand, accept, that I am in the moment. The past I am is no more, and the future I am is an illusion. I am now, and as long as I understand and accept that, then I am at peace.
Crescent Moon, Rising Sun – On little by little, one step at a time.
This post is a reflection on my experience. At one point, I had become fully engaged in multiple goals, personal and professional – maybe too many. I had always been a dreamer, and the type of person who felt guilty if there was a slot of time not filled with something productive. Multitasking sounded more than acceptable, and I engaged in it as well. It was right of my alley. I put a lot of pressure on myself over the past 10 years to accomplish everything that I thought “was due.” Some things I did not accomplish, some I started and decided to stop because the time was not right for them to be fruitful, and others, I decided to put aside for good. At times, it felt as if I was swimming at high-speed not to miss the boat that was already gone, or so I thought. I tried to catch up with my dreams and with time. It was a matter of time before the crash.
I had to learn to slow down and live one day at a time. I discarded the word multitasking and adopted a new philosophy of living – one thing at a time, one day at a time. I stopped blaming “others and the situation” and accepted the truth – that I am the only one in control, and the one who sets the pace. I had to go back and retrain myself in various areas. I also learned to depend more on God and less on my vision of things, although I don’t consider myself a religious person in the popular meaning of the word. This process strengthened my faith and patience. I saw that I could express more little by little, step by step. I enjoy the task at hand more, and am able to widen my vision; I see more now. I trust God’s process more.
I was a heavy planner and I thrived on multiple lists both short-term and long-term, many times as far as a 10-year plan. I am not suggesting that planning is bad, on the contrary, it is healthy; obsessive or too much structured planning is not the best choice. I had to understand that life’s plans can change in a split of a second – it is called life. Life doesn’t get in the way, it just is. It is called living. I plan now for living, not for the sake of achieving. Some of you might argue that part of living is achieving, and I agree. I say that achieving without living is pointless.
Now, I look at a crescent moon slowly gaining its fullness. I look at the rising sun after the darkness, and I know that all happens one day at a time. All.
The Second Truth
Truth – 1. Conformity to knowledge, fact, or actuality; veracity. 2. Something that is the case; the real state of affairs. 3. Reality; actuality. 4. A statement proven to be or accepted as true. 5. Sincerity; honesty. – American Heritage Dictionary
By looking at the above definition of truth, one will think that truth is one-sided, as we have traditionally learned to believe. “There is only one truth” is a phrase that we have heard many times, and possibly agreed with it. I say, we should consider a second truth, not only when the first truth does not suffice, but always. To illustrate this point, let me relate to you something I overheard this morning at the post office. This post was inspired by that conversation.
A man was talking to the clerk about a problem with his red mustang (later I saw the man at the parking lot pulling out in the new model). Apparently, something had been wrong with it and the mechanic took time figuring out what it was. The man was making these comments, feeling certain that he knew the truth.
Mustang Man – “These mechanics know nothing these days. They cannot figure out the problem unless they hook the car to a machine. I remember when good mechanics used to know what was wrong with the car just by listening to it – blah, blah, blah …”
Mustang Man continued to share his wisdom and the more truth he felt he shared the better he seemed to feel, and he left the post office smiling and wishing the clerk a great day. The clerk seemed to agree with him as well. I was smiling, and Mustang Man smiled and gestured a good-bye to me. However, I was smiling, not because I agreed with his truth, but because I knew of a second truth. There, I saw how truth is based on our own experiences and the knowledge we have at the moment of a particular subject.
My truth – My truth is based on different information and knowledge of the subject. See, I am married to a mechanic, and by default, a lot of the knowledge has trickled down to me. Many times, I find myself in conversation with my sister, and she tells me – “the mechanic just told me what you just thought it may be.” I laugh because, in 25 years of marriage, I have become a sponge, learning little bits by osmosis. Through my husband I have learned that today’s cars are not even a shadow of what cars where many years ago – possibly the time -frame Mustang Man was talking about. Today’s cars are computerized beasts full of software and sensors that depend on one another, like a steampunk symphony, one thing affecting the other but not necessarily becoming a part of it. Today’s mechanics are more knowledgeable in terms of absorbing and learning more information, and knowing different systems, than yesteryear mechanics. They need to learn software, and learn to use it to be able to diagnose a car properly. Today’s computerized beasts are more than motor and spark, therefore requiring precise computerized adjustments. With so many sensors and software systems, one little issue may trigger another, and therefore making it more difficult to diagnose. This would be impossible to do by a yesteryear mechanic or a.k.a. Mustang Man’s hero.
Another issue with today’s systems is that they keep changing at fast pace, as technology changes, and the consumer seems to want more “bells and whistles” and comforts. This creates the need for better trained mechanics who undergo continuing education through their jobs. High end cars, have very sophisticated computerized systems, that only become available to lower end models later on, or by special order – depending on the maker.
According to Mustang Man’s truth, which was based on old-fashion knowledge of automotive systems and an admiration for the good ole’ mechanic, today’s mechanics know nothing. According to my truth, which is based on more current information on automotive systems and my admiration for my mechanic hubby, today’s mechanics are more knowledgeable and educated. Two truths that are completely opposite and both influenced by the observer/participant experience.
And that is why you should always consider the second truth – learn, explore, inform yourself, and then make up your mind, before uttering your only truth.
English: Own Work, Public Domain School in Columbus Avenue, New York, NY, USA. Category:Images of automobiles (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Finding Your Own Paradigm
Image via Wikipedia
The American Heritage Dictionary defines paradigm as: an example or a model.
We follow paradigms all our lives (voluntary or involuntary), since the time we are born, till the time of our departure. Standards are set, ideals, models of behavior, social patterns that we follow throughout our lives, sometimes, without questioning their validity. We accept these models as truth, but sometimes these models fail us. When this happens, it is time to reevaluate the standards and ideals on which we have put our faith.
Finding your own paradigm, creating your own system, is necessary if you want to accomplish what you have set out to achieve in your life. Following predetermined systems, other people’s ideas of “what works” – blindly – guarantees many broken dreams, and tons of wasted precious time.
There are set models and standards that have been established to help the better functioning of society. Our job as responsible individuals is to weigh those systems and take what is useful, apply it to our lives, and improve on it. By learning to get in touch with our dreams, goals, inner desires, skills, and core beliefs, we give form to our own system – what works for us.
While creating your own system, you can expect to make waves, to raise eyebrows, and to get the unsolicited truth from “the know it all.” You will have to endure the comments coming from your loved ones (the ones that hurt the most), as they cannot see pass beyond their reality and the label that they have assigned you through the years. Their opinion is sometimes clouded by the expectations by which they live, and these by the paradigms that they have themselves accepted as true. Many times, influenced by titles, society labels, and the general belief of the masses, that follow as blind cattle. So what if you are the only one proud of what you do for a living? What if it is taking longer for you to hit the “I made it” label? The growth is slowly, many times, and each person is different. This is the price to pay for following your truth. “As you believe so shall become,” we have heard this adage before, simple but true. The law of attraction says that what we think, believe, and visualize, becomes our reality. The Bible, and many other uplifting philosophies reinforce the same premise. Many turned into paradigms, many twisted by society, history, political powers … and so on.
My question to you is whose reality?
Inkspeare 