“What is truth?” “Quid est veritas?” (Latin) John 18:38. This was a statement made by Pontius Pilate before going out to the waiting mob, washing his hands of the problem with Jesus, then turning him over to be flogged and then crucified. Truth means many different things, to many different people, for many different reasons. TRUTH always seems to be somewhat subjective. Do we seek a religious, spiritual, or moral truth, or do we seek a social, worldly, myopic truth? One thing is for certain, your truth may be defined by me as a delusion, or my truth may be defined by you as a conspiracy. We have to dig down into what are our basic beliefs in this world. Do I consider myself preeminent in my thought processes, rationale, and actions, or do I believe there is a higher order established which creates a form within which to function. We believe there is a wide gulf between those who are dogmatically religious, and those who are atheistic, believing we evolved from some lower form of organic material. Between these two extremes is a broad continuum where the vast majority of all people reside. Some may lean more toward a higher power in control, setting a moral basis for conduct and action, while others lean the opposite direction believing there might have been some order at some time, but we have evolved beyond the dependence upon such theologism, trending more toward the appliance of philosophy and science to direct our paths. If we were to ask both sides to define “TRUTH”, we would get different answers based upon where each of them would lay on this continuum line.
“A mind is a terrible thing to waste”, (slogan used by the UNCF since 1972). We could not be more in agreement. It would seem, however, that a large portion of our society feels there is only a certain level to which expansion through learning should take place, for to go beyond that would subject the learner to irrefutable facts which could shake core beliefs. There is an experiment that often teaches us to think beyond initial appearances. In this experiment, a glass jar is filled to the top with some larger rocks, and the viewer is asked if the jar is full. Since one more larger rock cannot be put in, the answer is “Yes, it is full”. Then the demonstrator pours in BBs, those little balls used in BB guns. Those little balls take up all the spaces between the bigger rocks, and now not a single BB can be added. The question is now “Is the jar full? The answer has to be “Yes, it is full”. Then the demonstrator pours in sand, which soon fills in all the gaps between the BBs. Absolutely no more sand can now be added. The questions is asked again, “Is the jar full?” The answer again is, “Yes, it is full.” Finally, the demonstrator pours in water, which is then absorbed by the sand. The result of the experiment is that more can be added than you originally thought. So it is with the human mind. We just need to be willing to open it up to other possibilities, and not limit ourselves to our preconceived notions.
So, being open to new ideas or facts can influence our minds, our beliefs, and potentially put us on a different path than the one we walked before. This is one of the ways we can come to a better understanding of reality. However, there is a form of disease that can eat away at this mind of ours, causing it to lose focus, becoming more ingrained in the pre-established core beliefs. It prevents knowledge growth, and even begins to calcify that which has already been established. It becomes hardened to new concepts, knowledge, and even real truths, even though they may be irrefutable. There is that saying, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, which gives justification for one simply giving up and accepting what currently exists. We know this to not be true, but it is often used to explain why we may be hesitant, or even militant, when it comes to thinking in different ways, or learning something foreign to us. It becomes something that is just an excuse for us to remain as we are, stuck in the mud in the rut we may have been in for a very long time. It requires effort and sustainability to conquer this urge, but unfortunately many choose to reside in this state of cryogenic sleep. This state is often supported by the constant barrage of input that only re-enforces this original mindset, causing the the mind to be even more recalcitrant. Those in this condition often only surround themselves with like-minded people, or only listen to those things that feed upon this limited narrative. TRUTH then becomes only that which we allow it to hear or believe, unable to even comprehend there is more to be known.
There is another form of this “TRUTH DECAY” that is caused by those who actually have a better grasp on the real TRUTH. How is it possible for one who is so enlightened, to actually be a part of the problem? We will refer to it as “The Ostrich Syndrome.” We do not mean to disparage the ostrich, because this is just a myth anyway. The saying probably comes from the illusion one gets when the ostrich is standing in it’s large, deep, sandy nest, turning their eggs over with their beaks, giving that appearance when one observes from a distance. This phrase though suits the purpose of this part of the blog. It is so much easier to pretend all is well, to not get involved, to not even attempt to share with others that which you know to be the TRUTH, so we just “bury our heads in the sand.” In reality, one needs to understand that the ostrich is a very fast bird, running as fast as 40 mph, not to mention it is large, up to 7 feet tall, and is strong and can leave a terrible impression with either it’s beak or strong legs. Why would a creature like this even fear an attack, sticking it’s head in the sand and promptly suffocating itself. Unfortunately, there is a large portion of our society that would prefer to hide, rather than use the talents bestowed upon each one of us, each one having unique abilities. When used in concert, these abilities and opportunities can become a powerful force to share the TRUTH.
IT IS TIME FOR ALL TO PREPARE TO SHARE THE TRUTH WITH BOLDNESS AND FOR ALL TO GO MASK FREE IF POSSIBLE, AND FOR ALL BUSINESSES AND INSTITUTIONS TO FULLY OPEN UP BEGINING JULY 4, 2021.