Sunday, September 23, 2007
Solitude
I lost my heart on a gravel road. The earth was warm. I turned my ear to listen to the weight of the world beneath me. A shower of rain; not far out to sea, arrested my armored sight and washed my indifference away.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Truth
When did we start believing that the Truth is some attainable thing outside of ourselves that will bring us fulfillment?
If we look at the etymology of the word truth, we discover that it stems from the Middle English word trewthe, from Old English trEowth fidelity; akin to Old English trEowe faithful. The Webster definition of truth is "sincerity in action, character, and utterance." The word sincere stems from Middle French, from Latin sincerus whole, pure, genuine, probably from sem- one + -cerus (akin to Latin crescere to grow.) The word sincere stresses absence of hypocrisy, feigning, or any falsifying embellishment or exaggeration.
Isn't it amazing that we have allowed ourselves to forget even these basic meanings? We are so eager to believe that we are inadequately equipped to find the real truth that will make us whole. The truth is not an independent reality reserved for a select few; it is not an opinion or a religious instruction. By looking at the definitions above it is quite clear that the truth is an attitude towards oneself and that once we are being genuinely ourselves, we are whole.
When I was little, I used to think that there was only one truth in this world - it was an elusive truth. The truth that I believed in, was one which guaranteed praise and acceptance. According to me, that truth was the only thing that could bring me happiness. It has taken me over 30 years of searching and struggling to realize that what I have always believed in was the perfection of an image, and not the truth. I believed in others' opinion of who I am and who I should be.
Now that I know that the truth is not a shining gem buried in a cave at the end of a very long and difficult road, I can allow myself to flow in the river of my own being right here and now and I can watch patiently as my truth unfolds and flowers daily.
If we look at the etymology of the word truth, we discover that it stems from the Middle English word trewthe, from Old English trEowth fidelity; akin to Old English trEowe faithful. The Webster definition of truth is "sincerity in action, character, and utterance." The word sincere stems from Middle French, from Latin sincerus whole, pure, genuine, probably from sem- one + -cerus (akin to Latin crescere to grow.) The word sincere stresses absence of hypocrisy, feigning, or any falsifying embellishment or exaggeration.
Isn't it amazing that we have allowed ourselves to forget even these basic meanings? We are so eager to believe that we are inadequately equipped to find the real truth that will make us whole. The truth is not an independent reality reserved for a select few; it is not an opinion or a religious instruction. By looking at the definitions above it is quite clear that the truth is an attitude towards oneself and that once we are being genuinely ourselves, we are whole.
When I was little, I used to think that there was only one truth in this world - it was an elusive truth. The truth that I believed in, was one which guaranteed praise and acceptance. According to me, that truth was the only thing that could bring me happiness. It has taken me over 30 years of searching and struggling to realize that what I have always believed in was the perfection of an image, and not the truth. I believed in others' opinion of who I am and who I should be.
Now that I know that the truth is not a shining gem buried in a cave at the end of a very long and difficult road, I can allow myself to flow in the river of my own being right here and now and I can watch patiently as my truth unfolds and flowers daily.
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