Stony Truths Pelted at the Love Flower

 

Siri Hustvedt: “Each person does see the world in a different way. There is not a single, unifying, objective truth. We're all limited by our perspective.”

Miracle of miracles, existence has given us five senses to interpret the inherent unity in our own ways. As Friedrich Nietzsche says, “There are no facts, only interpretations.”

All of us are destined to appear different in many ways. On the surface, above the deep sea of commonality, these differences define our specialty in the mass of heaving humanity. And the so called truth, which you hold dear to your self identity, is actually an opinion only. Problem arises when we present our opinion as absolute truth. Holding one's mere opinion as absolute truth panders the mankind's foe, ego. And you will hardly find a more potent enemy of love than an over-bloated ego. Accepting your opinions as mere opinions like any others will make you an amazingly honest person. And love blooms under honesty and humility.

If you are kind enough to allow someone's truth to shine, taking your dazzle away, you show a kindness. Not that you should always allow even ill-found opinions to sail over your head. You have every right to checkmate such misguided shots. All I want to say is that fight an opinion with your opinion only. It's just a scoring game. Outsmart and fox with your argument, but always remember that you are not the omniscient entity having a copyright on truth. And never forget to smile when cutting opinions with opinions.

Ravindranath Tagore says so beautifully and briefly, “Facts are many, but the truth is one.”

Squabble over facts, but never show the attitude that you own the domain of truth. Quite interestingly, truth may be told in millions of ways, and the beauty is all can be true in their own ways. And mind you, biggest truths are incontrovertible. They come in the form of love, honesty, kindness, humility and scores of other beautiful things. Can anyone put up a debate about this?

Don't you think that your firm convictions are laid bare by the sweeping winds of unfolding experiences and new facts and knowledge coming on the way as you move ahead in life? Doesn't it mean that so many of your own self-cherished truths turn out to be mere opinions later on in life as you move with flexibility, wisdom and meaningful search of life? So where is the truth? This much of open-mindedness will avoid so many unnecessary situations in life. As you cut down such chaotic moments from your life, you actually lay down a firm seed-bed for the flowers of love to blossom.

Pick you grains of truth. They are for some frail humanitarian purpose. Don’t take them as the cosmic seeds of the ultimate truth.

With our limited self perception, the universal truth stays out of our grasp. It is pleasantly lost in the infinite cosmic spread. So all we have is the scattered grains of perceived truths. My truth, your truth, his truth, her truth, their truth. Bits and pieces of truth, picked up for convenience, for suitability. Truth, as we seem to know it, is a mundane piece of daily utility, as much suitable as the food we take as per our body types and socio-economic circumstances.

It’s advisable to forget about the most justifiable of truths. The most we can do is to get an average of all truths, a mathematical average, a common truth. This but again is a simplified standard to derive rules, principles and moral code to run society. A mere arrangement to run a bigger household.

I know my truth can be false for someone else, and vice versa. Truth and falsehood, recurring shadow and substance. Sometimes falsehood is the shadow. Oftentimes truth is the shadow. But they are always nearby. Touching each other like the shadow clings to the substance. Both have their suitors simultaneously. Someone holds the substance for support. At the same time someone takes shelter in the shadow to accomplish something that can be managed in a grey zone only.

As Swami Vivekananda says: “Our duty is to encourage everyone in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.”

This much of space for each other leaves the scope for full gardens of understanding and cooperation in our social arrangement. With your leniency, long before you help others in search of their destiny, you primarily help yourself because your own opinions don’t turn stones to checkmate your growth and evolution. And when all and sundry are journeymen on the path of the ultimate truth, there is hardly any time for roadblocks and traffic jams resulting in quarrels and brawls. It happens simply because you aren’t trampling on any fellow foot. All are moving on their own path. This is what we mean by real liberation. And loving kindness is the soul of this quest.