by Dm Delisio

Created on: June 12, 2008   Last Updated: June 13, 2008

Truth is not negotiable, nor does it bow to respect our perception of it. All beliefs are not equal, but truth is universal. Society's assertions sometimes suggest that having a consensus makes an idea true. On the contrary, absolute truth's existence is not dependent on society's ability to recognize it.

There is a feeling that our perceptions are so palpable that in our hearts, we know truth. It is quite the opposite, in fact, and perception unquestioned and untested can often times mask what is actually factual. Our acknowledgement of essentional reality is an experience earned through the acquisition of intellectual capacity. With mankind's inquisitive nature leading the way, experience and experimentation brought the development of the ability to understand many facets of what is real. In turn, we no longer had the room for the myths that filled our thoughts in ages past.

People have attempted to use belief as proof in philosophical debates about existence. This is a flimsy argument or, better yet, a useless tool. In other words, believing something doesn't make it true. Otherwise, at one time, the earth would have been flat and then shifted into a sphere as western society evolved. Unless one is speaking of the psyche, truth is not personal. When we are looking for truth, it is an investigation of fact. The laws of nature are not dependent on mankind's ability to decode them in order for these laws to exist.

If I died right now, as the clock keeps ticking, this keyboard would still be here. This keyboard would be on this desk, this desk in this room, and this room in this house. The existence of these things is not dependent on my belief in them. Truth is not relative and does not depend on us to make it. What we believe may contribute to the shaping of our life experience and how we perceive it, but it doesn't matter to actual reality. It exists independent of mankind. Truth will still be eternally in motion. The more we feel that our beliefs are evidence of truth, the more elusive it becomes because we lose our cause for further investigation. We're just fooling ourselves. We can witness reality with our own eyes and still be blinded by our traditional beliefs. Within our beliefs, we find many things, including the connective tissue of beautiful illusions.

For example, God. To seek truth is to ask questions. Using God as an example: if the truth is that there is a God, why must we believe it? Does are belief in God make him or her more legitimate? Does God's existence depend on our acknowledgment of him or her or does God exist despite us?

One may ask why the question of reality is so important. The pursuit of truth is the pursuit of knowledge. Investing in illusion makes our brains just a hamster on a wheel. Tragically, accepting less than absolute truth sells humanity short of our intellectual potential and our intellectual potential is a beautiful thing.

Also, looking beyond our own perception is very important in making contributions to a better world. There are AIDS orphans in Africa and incomprehensible ghettos in India that are begging for our gaze. Facing reality is an absolute necessity in making this a better world for real people living real lives in real pain. Facing the truth gives us real power in the real world.

Only when knowledge reaches a tipping point within society does the paradigm begin to shift. Then we have consensus and begin to see the world anew. There are still facets of reality that are unknowingly denied by our beliefs. After all, we are still learning. Knowledge is the key.

It may be that society suffers from a lack of comprehension, but there can never be a lack of truth. The earth is round after all.

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