“The Simple Truth”
“No matter how exalted we think ourselves, all that we can know and become has a material basis obedient to the decipherable laws of physics and chemistry. And no matter how intellectually far above the remainder of life we lift ourselves, and however technically proficient we become, we will stay a biological species, biological in origin, and thence adapted in mind and body to the living world that cradled us.” -Edward O. Wilson, 1998 Phi Beta Kappa Oration, Harvard University
A favorite quote of mine comes from a person named Rahel: “If you wish to astonish the whole world, tell the simple truth.” His statement, however, begs the question(s). What is the simple truth? The simple truth about what? In my context, it is the simple truth about life. What makes life healthy? What sustains life? What in life is “sacred”? Sacred is a very unusual word. What could a word like this mean?
There is a phenomenon that I refer to as the way of life (natural law). If we honor the way of life, we prosper. If we violate it, we suffer needlessly. To explore, discover, and understand the way of life requires context, perspective, and time frames. For these, we will turn to three areas. First, we will review some of what we know about cosmology (the origin and structure of the universe). Second, we will turn to evolutionary biology. How long has this planet and life been here? How long have we been here? What has life been through to get this far? Third, we will look at the world of religion. Where have all these religions come from and why?
The Danish philosopher and theologian Soren Kierkegaard observed that “Searching for truth is like searching in a pitch dark room for a black cat that isn’t there.” Truth is elusive. But truth and elements of truth are discoverable. Truth is stubborn. Truth is tough. It’s patient. These things we call facts are stubborn things. Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes observed that “Truth is tough. It will not break, like a bubble, at a touch; you may kick it around all day like a football, and it will be round and full at evening.”
To be continued…
Filed under: global remedies, quality of life
