Truth is important because we base our lives around what we perceive to be true. Our perception of reality is an integral part of how we live our everyday lives and how we treat our fellow human beings. This is most evident in the lives of those who have strict religious or political beliefs. Someone’s belief about which political policies are best for everyone, their belief about which holy book to follow, or their view on who makes it to the afterlife, is going to have a direct effect on what they do with their time here on earth and how they interact with other people. No one wants to wake up one morning and discover everything they believe to be true about the world is actually false. So in this lies our struggle, with so many competing ideas and beliefs about truth, how can one find truth?
One tool we have to help us discover truth is each other. When you put your ideas and core beliefs up to the challenge and critic of others, you are able to achieve a far greater sense of the reality of your beliefs. No consensus doesn't mean truth, but it is a start. It is one thing to believe in your own preconceived ideas and stick with people that share in those beliefs, it is another to open yourself up to others who share completely opposite views and who challenge your current way of thinking. Often our ego gets in the way of our vision for truth. We have managed to build in our heads the idea that to be proven wrong is embarrassing and shameful. WHY! Doesn’t it make much more sense to look forward to the times when someone enlightens us with new knowledge? My hope for this blog is to enter into dialogue with those who have different ideas to me, my hope is to be proven wrong and enlightened on any number of issues, and my hope is for all of us to try and move closer to the thing we call truth.
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