Truth V. Created Truth

So Many Questions, So Few Truthful Answers

Of all the things that society worries about in this world, the truth has been the most ignored.  In many ways, truth has taken a back seat to the created truth for centuries.  It seems far easier to believe what has been told to us by religious leaders and politicians as fact, then to seek out the real truth. We see this in other countries all time, but it’s easy to put blinders on when it is happening within our own great nation as well.  If the truth revealed itself, how many members of society would be willing to accept the truth and ban the created truth for any false claims against humanity?

Would we even allow the truth to be exposed?  Have centuries of created truths become so embedded into our society that we couldn’t see the truth even if it were blatantly staring us in the face?  All of us, us being the humans on this planet, live our daily lives under the umbrella of information which has been told to us by governments and religious leaders around the world for centuries.  Centuries seem like a long time, but in fact centuries is how long we’ve been discussing the bible, religion and different aspects of government that govern our beliefs and our laws.    

Some individuals in our society call other members sacrilegious if they question the authenticity of the bible and religious beliefs.  Also, when people question our government, America’s way of life, or the Constitution, they are depicted as unpatriotic.  It has become easier in our country to shut down these questions instead of encouraging more questions and conversations.  We need to ask ourselves just how closed-mined are we as a society?  Would we be willing to go back to the time of Christ to prove or disprove the accuracy of the bible?  What if we found the opposite to be true to our beliefs?  Would we change what we believe in and then tell others?  Or would we keep the information to ourselves and continue to live our lives as we did before?

What if we could go back and speak with the founders of the Constitution, and tell them what life is like in the 21^st Century including religion, gun laws, discrimination, immigration, and global warming?  And upon hearing what we had to say, they wanted to make changes to the Constitution based on the future knowledge they didn’t have back then.  Would we endorse the changes, even if they went against our current beliefs and values?

Obviously, we cannot go back in time to prove or disprove the bible or speak with the Constitutional founders, but what we can do is ask appropriate questions and engage in intelligent educated discussions.  This will help determine if created truths have dictated our decisions, thought processes, and laws that have become a guide for how we live today.  No one can argue the fact that life today is far different then when it is said a man named Jesus Christ walked the earth or when the Constitution was written.  However, we should be willing as a society to consider the differences, find the truths hidden in the created truths, and do what is best for our society today in the twenty-first century.

Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong.  When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted.  It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance.  And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn’t fit in with the core belief.  -Frantz Fanon

Asking a lot of questions is important and relevant, but it’s the ones that people refrain from asking because of fear, that are the most vital.  They sit in the pit of one’s stomach aching to be asked, but most of the times are not.  And why, because of fear, gut wrenching fear.  It stops people from moving forward.  And if we are not moving forward to understand the environment we live in, the world will not be able sustain itself for much longer without knowing the real truths.

There are so many answers to these questions about our society that each and every one of us just takes for granted, because we have been told to do so.  We do this instead of thinking for ourselves, asking the questions, and possessing a real desire for not just the answer, but the actual truth; not someone else created truth.  However, in today’s society it seems nobody wants to ask, but we all pretend we know.

People need to start asking the important questions which have a direct impact on our well-being, our way of thinking, and the way we treat each other.  Our world has been constructed in a way in which society feels they do not have the right to question anyone with authority.  Centuries ago people would do whatever the King and Queen decreed upon them.  The church also put forth a list of bylaws their congregations could do and could not do.  Then of course, priests and teachers were to be obeyed without question.  And for parents, they were to be obeyed until their very last dying wish without hesitation.  And all this was to be done, even if the people in authority were cruel and dishonest.

To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.  -Voltaire

Throughout history and in present day, it is seen as normal to be fearful of asking questions to the people with some sort of power or status like our bosses, religious leaders, politicians, parents or anyone who has some sense of control over our emotional, personal, professional or financial well-being.  And in many cases, especially in regards to religion and government, even when the questions are asked, the answers that are normally given seem based just on one’s own belief and then spread throughout the universe as if it is everyone else’s opinion.

However, in most cases people in power like the sense of fear to exist.  It keeps the people below them in a state of passivity and from stirring the pot.  And because of that, the fear itself needs to also be questioned and answered to.  And it’s not about condemning society, but changing society so that good and kindness can occur.  We can’t change the past, but we can change the present and the future.

Fear is the key to obedience – Reverend Richard Skaff