What happens to an animal when it’s backed into a corner? Well, survival instincts kick in, and the animal will defend itself in every possible way. This includes taking the life in front of it in order to protect its own. Much of the life of every animal, then, is spent in this defensive posture, in which mere survival is the only goal. It should be clear that many within humanity hold a similar posture of defensiveness all throughout their life. This posture begs the question, “What am I trying to protect?” “What is it I’m really defending?” “Why would I want to survive in the first place?” As difficult as it may be, we need to continually ask ourselves these questions if we ever hope to find our motivation. We understand that our motivation must always be clearly defined if we are to find the success and comfort we desire.
At the core of each of us is the need to find truth in all that we do, for our lives need to have meaning and purpose. Because we do not know the absolute truth about our reality, we adopt beliefs we’ve heard about from others, or we manufacture something we hope to be true, in an effort to provide ourselves with the meaning and purpose we seek. You see, we begin with good intent, for the discovery of truth and purpose is most definitely a good thing. This is something we all share, my friends. The problem we have is that we do not even understand what we hope to be true, or if it even is true, at the onset of our journey toward truth. We then go about attempting to prove our beliefs to be true at the cost of truth itself. It does not seem to matter to us that what we believe may have no basis in reality. If we were to be honest, we would see that we spend most of our time living based on assumptions. We cannot find meaning, we cannot find purpose, we cannot expose the real truth when we assume or manufacture. The only way we can know anything is to pay attention to our actual experience. This is our truth. We must, however, fully accept that this truth we have discovered will change as we gain more experience. Unfortunately, our beliefs have no value or meaning if we do not have the experience to back them up. If we go ahead anyway, without knowing, we provide ourselves with that unnecessary defensive posture, based on the fear of the unknown, at the cost of ourselves and others.
Can any of us say with 100% certainty that we know something is true? Perhaps we could all stop for a moment and realize that every human being wants to find truth and be able to express it in their life. We need to recognize as well, as painful as it may be, that none of us have found it just yet. If we all want to find out what the truth of it all really is, then maybe, just maybe, we could find it together. What we fear more than anything else, my friends, is being wrong. If each of us has this fear, and therefore possibly be wrong, then we have a place to begin. There is no belief system that is based on ultimate truth. If it had been found, it would work for everyone in all circumstances. We would all adopt this ultimate truth, use it in our lives, and see everything working as it should. There is only one ultimate truth that works for everyone at all times, and I think we all know what it is. It is only love, mutual respect and admiration, and the seeking of truth, that underscores our entire existence. How could there be any other purpose or meaning we could hope to find?
Having said all this, to the point of it being obvious, there are many in this world who will not accept this basic reality that is before us. They will defend, they will justify, they will continue to try to prove that only their truth is correct. Violence, the harming of others, all the many lies, all the attempts to withhold freedom and common decency, is their purpose. It must be understood that if truth needs to be defended at any cost, no truth has been found. They will continue to destroy, as they cannot prove to themselves what they only hope to be true. For this, we must prepare ourselves. Those of us who see truth to be love, will never have to defend, for ultimate truth stands alone.
It is tragic that during this holiest of weeks, for many religions across the world, most obvious in the Middle East, we see nothing but violence as a means to prove religious exclusivity. All religions are at fault here, my friends, for they believe they possess a truth and a power they do not possess. Again, we can change our minds at any time. We can search for truth together.
During this most important time in human history, we can choose to spread love and understanding all throughout the world. Our fellow human beings are our friends. With this decision, we are never backed into a corner, for there is nothing to defend. Each of us can share what we have in our hearts, and in so doing, find the peace that is ours. We have nothing to prove. We are free.
What each of us can do in every moment is tell the truth. It’s not so bad. We can be honest with ourselves, we can be honest with others. This pathway is much easier. It’s much easier than defending what we do not understand.
It only gets better from here!
It is the promise of all who seek a better way.
Happy holidays, and all love and support, always