The truth is I know so little and a lot of what I think I know is just what other’s claim to know and how I feel about it. For a time, I knew what my parents taught me and knew what they learned. Then I knew what I learned in class and some of what I learned outside of class. Always learning from someone else that learned from someone else.
Already I called bullcrap on a lot of what was taught and as I got older I learned I was often right to question things. For example, we did not come across an ocean with open and loving arms to be picked on and made to defend ourselves against the natives of what is now the United States of America. I really didn’t have the ADD I just had a low tolerance for lies.
I started to seriously wake up to the truth when I learned about food, medicine and health. It was shocking to learn how promoting an animal-based diet is likely an actual conspiracy and when I switched to a plant-based diet I lost weight, cured type 2 diabetes, resolved most of the symptoms of my list of other “lifestyle-diseases”.
So now I am full of conspiracy theories, A LOT OF THEM. I choose to believe all of them are possible so I don’t close my mind to any of them. For example, the world could be flat. Or God created man about 6000 years ago. Or maybe it is a lot more like the Star Gate series and our Gods are really manipulative, self-interested aliens.
With so many differing and sometimes complementary theories of what is true, what is outright deception and what is ignorance it is hard to ever KNOW what is true. I would bet that much of what we are told are lies are in fact true. I also would bet that the actual truth is difficult to discuss because our languages may lack the depth necessary to really express the truth.
In searching for truth I have to dare to be different, I might risk ALIENating people. Sometimes you KNOW truth because a thing worked. It is true that (for me) a plant-based diet made diabetes go away and resolved most of my symptoms of heart disease. A great way to alienate people is to announce to your 30 co-workers on a new job that you are vegan.
I like what I believe to inform my actions. That is what I believe needs to drive my choices and, in part, define my moral code. Lucky for me I had a great amount of ADD when reading the Old Testament but really felt something of truth when reading a red letter edition of the Four Gospels.
Maybe, “By their works, you shall know them.” Is ONE line of defence against sources of falsehoods. There is a thing about truth that I think can be felt. When considering my own moral code I like The Great Commandment, Mark 12:30-31, “…You should love whatever god you have with all your heart, mind and strength. The second commandment is like the first as it demonstrates your love for God, love your neighbour as you love yourself.”
In the end, I have no clue what is true other than if it worked as in dietary changes cure disease. Please consider this post to be a conversation starter. I am interested in what makes you seek the truth, how do you recognize it when you see it and your stories of what put you on the quest to find the truth.
