In my blog "Truth - Part One - Consequences of Claiming Absolute Truth", I used a story from Kite Runner to illustrate how claiming absolute truth can lead to absolute tragedy. I failed to make clear, however, that the story portrayed in this book is a fictional tale. For me whether or not this tale is based on truth or reported truths is not relevant to the point I was making; however, I do want to make sure you don't go around saying "I heard that blah, blah, blah occurred in Afghanistan, using the Kite Runner as your source for that information". Hopefully that faux pau has not yet occurred.
One other point I would like to make as more and more people begin to contribute and show interest in this blog is to please do your best to maintain the spirit of this web log which is set forth in the first posted blog and in the guidelines. In my writing thus far, I have found it difficult to follow my own rules, to be honest, but I hope that my ability to write from a perspective of what I believe and not what I don't believe will evolve to a higher level. This is not to say no one will be offended or deeply struck by what others say or believe, but just to remind us all to be judicious in how we present our beliefs.
Of course, as we read, we all will have questions and provoking thoughts as we seek to understand ideas and thoughts posted by contributors. If you desire to ask questions or inquire further of a person who has posted a blog, I like the idea of posing questions in the comments section and allowing those questions to be addressed from an "I Believe" perspective in a blog by the original author. Having said that, no author should feel he/she is obligated to defend or clarify a post at the request of others.
If you feel someone is compromising the spirit of the blog (myself included) or has done something that raises eyebrows about integrity (like using a story to illustrate a point without stating whether or not it is a fiction or non-fiction source) please email me on the issue @ ppaulito@yahoo.com rather than posting it as a comment. I will email the author of the material in question myself. Thank you everyone for you input thus far. I am very excited about what is happening here thus far. Happy Holidays.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Epistemology continued
But I don`t know how to get to You!!!
That day in the summer of 1986 when I screamed those words out the window of my car,is the day my epistemology began to change.
The scream was in response to a conversation initiated by God Himself.
It was 1430 hrs, I was driving to work along the Nasa Causeway,and all of a sudden there was this acute awareness of the presence of God that totally overwhelmed every fiber of my being.
It shook me to the core of my soul and I couldn`t stop weeping.
I heard Him say; I will never leave you.At the hearing of those few words, with my fist clenched in the air, and looking up into the clouds,I screamed;BUT I DON`T KNOW HOW TO GET TO YOU!!! He simply said,call Peggy.Peggy is the cousin of a friend of mine and a christian.
Evidently she was going to help me understand what just happened to me.
Two things I already understood.God is absolutely real and He absolutely speaks to us.
Websters definition of epistemology is "the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge with reference to it`s limits and validity.
A friend of mine simply stated it this way".It is what you believe and why you believe it".
The environment and culture we live in influences the way we think and live.
What happened to me is; God took me out of the environment He calls darkness that I was exhisting in, and brought me into an environment of light, which I now live in.
He breathed the breath of life into my nostrils and I became a living being.
A living being with a billion questions, and a thirst for the truth. The truth about who He is, and who we are in relation to Him and to each other.
I pray He helps us all find it.
That day in the summer of 1986 when I screamed those words out the window of my car,is the day my epistemology began to change.
The scream was in response to a conversation initiated by God Himself.
It was 1430 hrs, I was driving to work along the Nasa Causeway,and all of a sudden there was this acute awareness of the presence of God that totally overwhelmed every fiber of my being.
It shook me to the core of my soul and I couldn`t stop weeping.
I heard Him say; I will never leave you.At the hearing of those few words, with my fist clenched in the air, and looking up into the clouds,I screamed;BUT I DON`T KNOW HOW TO GET TO YOU!!! He simply said,call Peggy.Peggy is the cousin of a friend of mine and a christian.
Evidently she was going to help me understand what just happened to me.
Two things I already understood.God is absolutely real and He absolutely speaks to us.
Websters definition of epistemology is "the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge with reference to it`s limits and validity.
A friend of mine simply stated it this way".It is what you believe and why you believe it".
The environment and culture we live in influences the way we think and live.
What happened to me is; God took me out of the environment He calls darkness that I was exhisting in, and brought me into an environment of light, which I now live in.
He breathed the breath of life into my nostrils and I became a living being.
A living being with a billion questions, and a thirst for the truth. The truth about who He is, and who we are in relation to Him and to each other.
I pray He helps us all find it.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Truthfully...
Truth…
What is truth…or better yet, what is the truth…even better, what is the Truth. Well, I’ll tell you…I don’t know. It could mean that Truth could be good and the opposite of that, Deception, is evil. It could mean Truth is God and the Deception is Satan. Or maybe there’s no such thing as Truth and only truth exists. Perhaps the existence of Truth is simply a deception put forth by evil forces. To be honest, I really don’t care what it is; I’m just a passenger on this ship, and as long as we’re not hitting icebergs and sinking, I’m not going to worry too much about the captain or the destination.
That being said, I believe Truth is a mysterious, strange, elusive part of every human being’s life. (or at least the quest for Truth is.) I believe that no one can possibly know the entire Truth and anyone who is certain he knows the truth is foolish and even dangerous. (example: suicide bombers kill thousands because they believe they know the Truth) (better example: Hitler had thousands of Jews executed by people who believed he knew the Truth) (even better example: Christian crusaders killed thousands because they believed they knew the Truth). I believe they may have had morsels of the truth and twisted or stretched these morsels into the entire thing, which led to grave human error.
So how does one find Truth? I believe that we, as humans, can experience little bits of Truth in a myriad of ways. Usually, when we’re not even looking for it. I believe one way is through aesthetic experience. When I am singing a song or playing the piano, I have moments of clarity. It’s really kind of stupid if you think about it. If I say certain words with certain pitches I can reach something bigger than myself that I can’t quite explain. I guess the Truth really can’t be fully explained, it should be experienced. I believe the Truth can be experienced emotionally. For example, an intimate experience with someone you truly love or being separated from someone you care about deeply can lead to an experience of Truth. I am not going to go into every way one can experience Truth. As a matter of fact, I don’t know every way one can experience Truth and I don’t even really want to know. All I do know is I’ve had my little run-ins with Truth and I like them. I want more; but I’m not going to get greedy, I’ll be content with my little bits of Truth.
So what have I concluded from my little Truth morsels… not much. But here’s what it comes down to: The main reason we are on this earth is to end human suffering; or, at the very least, to not cause anymore suffering than already exists in this world. The Truth I have experienced causes me to ask that question daily, Is what I’m doing ending human suffering or causing more? Through asking this question, I believe we can avoid the aforementioned grave human errors that help make this world a place of suffering for so many. I know, it’s not much and it’s not very specific. Sorry. However, I believe asking that question will give us more and more of these Truth experiences. The ironic part is, the more little bits we get, the more we realize we don’t know much of the Truth. Personally, that’s why I think people who boastfully announce they know the Truth, probably haven’t experienced much of it. But in my mind, the little snapshots of Truth are all we should really expect from this mysterious, strange, elusive existence we have here on Earth. And that’s plenty for me.
What is truth…or better yet, what is the truth…even better, what is the Truth. Well, I’ll tell you…I don’t know. It could mean that Truth could be good and the opposite of that, Deception, is evil. It could mean Truth is God and the Deception is Satan. Or maybe there’s no such thing as Truth and only truth exists. Perhaps the existence of Truth is simply a deception put forth by evil forces. To be honest, I really don’t care what it is; I’m just a passenger on this ship, and as long as we’re not hitting icebergs and sinking, I’m not going to worry too much about the captain or the destination.
That being said, I believe Truth is a mysterious, strange, elusive part of every human being’s life. (or at least the quest for Truth is.) I believe that no one can possibly know the entire Truth and anyone who is certain he knows the truth is foolish and even dangerous. (example: suicide bombers kill thousands because they believe they know the Truth) (better example: Hitler had thousands of Jews executed by people who believed he knew the Truth) (even better example: Christian crusaders killed thousands because they believed they knew the Truth). I believe they may have had morsels of the truth and twisted or stretched these morsels into the entire thing, which led to grave human error.
So how does one find Truth? I believe that we, as humans, can experience little bits of Truth in a myriad of ways. Usually, when we’re not even looking for it. I believe one way is through aesthetic experience. When I am singing a song or playing the piano, I have moments of clarity. It’s really kind of stupid if you think about it. If I say certain words with certain pitches I can reach something bigger than myself that I can’t quite explain. I guess the Truth really can’t be fully explained, it should be experienced. I believe the Truth can be experienced emotionally. For example, an intimate experience with someone you truly love or being separated from someone you care about deeply can lead to an experience of Truth. I am not going to go into every way one can experience Truth. As a matter of fact, I don’t know every way one can experience Truth and I don’t even really want to know. All I do know is I’ve had my little run-ins with Truth and I like them. I want more; but I’m not going to get greedy, I’ll be content with my little bits of Truth.
So what have I concluded from my little Truth morsels… not much. But here’s what it comes down to: The main reason we are on this earth is to end human suffering; or, at the very least, to not cause anymore suffering than already exists in this world. The Truth I have experienced causes me to ask that question daily, Is what I’m doing ending human suffering or causing more? Through asking this question, I believe we can avoid the aforementioned grave human errors that help make this world a place of suffering for so many. I know, it’s not much and it’s not very specific. Sorry. However, I believe asking that question will give us more and more of these Truth experiences. The ironic part is, the more little bits we get, the more we realize we don’t know much of the Truth. Personally, that’s why I think people who boastfully announce they know the Truth, probably haven’t experienced much of it. But in my mind, the little snapshots of Truth are all we should really expect from this mysterious, strange, elusive existence we have here on Earth. And that’s plenty for me.
Truth - Part One - Consequences of Claiming Absolute Truth
What is "truth"? What is "absolute truth"? What is the origin from which the concept or the idea of "absolute" truth stems? This is an important topic as many people who read the ideas on this blog are reading with the intent to be exposed to ideas but at the same time to gain some insight that is believed to be "truth".
I am going to start by looking at truth in two ways. The first way addresses simply the idea of "Absolute Truth" and why I believe that it exists but is not absolutely knowable. THe second way looks at truth as an object which is viewed from different frameworks or windows, if you will, each of which sheds light on some component of truth.
I recently read a book called the Kite Runner, below you will find a passage from this book in which a member from the Taliban expounds on an experience motivated from the perspective of having special knowledge of absolute truth. I include this passage because I believe it demonstrates in intangible ways the unanticpated dangers in claiming an absolute truth. I will comment more on this in an upcoming blog.
"We left them out for the dogs, you know." I saw what he was getting at. He stood up, paced around the sofa once, twice. Sat down again. He spoke rapidly. "door to door we went, calling for the men and the boys. We'd shoot them right there in front of their families. Let them see. Let them remember who they were, where they belonged. He was almost panting now. "Sometimes, we broke down their doors and went inside their homes. And...I'd...I'd sweep the barrel of my machine gun around th etroom and fire and fire until the smoke blinded me." He leaned toward me, like man asbout to share a great secret. "you don't know the meaning of the 'liberating' until you've done that, stood in a roomful of targets, let the bullets fly, free of guilt and remorse, know you are virtuous, good, and decent. Knowing you're doing God's work. It's breathtaking. " He hissed the prayer beads, tilted his head. "You remember that Javid?"
"Yes, Agha sahib," the yonger of the guards replied. "How could I forget?"
Door-to-door. We only rested for food and prayer, " the Talib said. He said it fondly, like a man telling of a great party he'd attended. "We left the bodies in the streets for days. We left them for the dogs. Dog meat for dogs."
I am going to start by looking at truth in two ways. The first way addresses simply the idea of "Absolute Truth" and why I believe that it exists but is not absolutely knowable. THe second way looks at truth as an object which is viewed from different frameworks or windows, if you will, each of which sheds light on some component of truth.
I recently read a book called the Kite Runner, below you will find a passage from this book in which a member from the Taliban expounds on an experience motivated from the perspective of having special knowledge of absolute truth. I include this passage because I believe it demonstrates in intangible ways the unanticpated dangers in claiming an absolute truth. I will comment more on this in an upcoming blog.
"We left them out for the dogs, you know." I saw what he was getting at. He stood up, paced around the sofa once, twice. Sat down again. He spoke rapidly. "door to door we went, calling for the men and the boys. We'd shoot them right there in front of their families. Let them see. Let them remember who they were, where they belonged. He was almost panting now. "Sometimes, we broke down their doors and went inside their homes. And...I'd...I'd sweep the barrel of my machine gun around th etroom and fire and fire until the smoke blinded me." He leaned toward me, like man asbout to share a great secret. "you don't know the meaning of the 'liberating' until you've done that, stood in a roomful of targets, let the bullets fly, free of guilt and remorse, know you are virtuous, good, and decent. Knowing you're doing God's work. It's breathtaking. " He hissed the prayer beads, tilted his head. "You remember that Javid?"
"Yes, Agha sahib," the yonger of the guards replied. "How could I forget?"
Door-to-door. We only rested for food and prayer, " the Talib said. He said it fondly, like a man telling of a great party he'd attended. "We left the bodies in the streets for days. We left them for the dogs. Dog meat for dogs."
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Approaching Truth
I am endeavoring to broach the subject of truth in the near future, and to introduce the idea I am going to offer some words by Frederick Buechner-an ordained minister and well-respected author-from his book, Telling Secrets. Please see quote at the top of the blog site as well.
"What deadens us most to God's presence within us, I think, is the inner dialogue that we are continuously engaged in with ourselves, the endless chatter of human thought. I suspect that there is nothing more curcial to true spiritual comfort, as the huge monk in gold put it, than being able from time to time to stop that chatter of spoken prayer. If we choose to seek the silence of the holy place, or to open ourselves to its seeking. I think there is no surer way than by keeping silent.
God knows I am no good at it, but keep I trying, and once or twice I have been lucky, graced. I have been conscious but not conscious of anything, not even of myself. I have been surrounded by the whiteness of snow. I have heard a stillness that encloses all sounds stilled the way whiteness encloses all colors stilled, the way wordlessness encloses all words stilled. I have sensed the presence of a presence. I have felt a promise promised.
I like to believe that once or twice, at times like those, I have bumbled my way into at least the outermost suburbs of the Truth that can never be told but only come upon, that can never be proved but only lived for and loved. It is the experience I think the author of the 131st Psalm is trying to describe, and I will let the final word be his."
Psalm 131
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a child quieted at its mother's breast,
like a child that is quieted is my soul.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and for evermore.
"What deadens us most to God's presence within us, I think, is the inner dialogue that we are continuously engaged in with ourselves, the endless chatter of human thought. I suspect that there is nothing more curcial to true spiritual comfort, as the huge monk in gold put it, than being able from time to time to stop that chatter of spoken prayer. If we choose to seek the silence of the holy place, or to open ourselves to its seeking. I think there is no surer way than by keeping silent.
God knows I am no good at it, but keep I trying, and once or twice I have been lucky, graced. I have been conscious but not conscious of anything, not even of myself. I have been surrounded by the whiteness of snow. I have heard a stillness that encloses all sounds stilled the way whiteness encloses all colors stilled, the way wordlessness encloses all words stilled. I have sensed the presence of a presence. I have felt a promise promised.
I like to believe that once or twice, at times like those, I have bumbled my way into at least the outermost suburbs of the Truth that can never be told but only come upon, that can never be proved but only lived for and loved. It is the experience I think the author of the 131st Psalm is trying to describe, and I will let the final word be his."
Psalm 131
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a child quieted at its mother's breast,
like a child that is quieted is my soul.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and for evermore.
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