Finding The Truth

Intro

Most people, at least in theory, want to know what is the truth. To find what is real, whether it is about politics, religion, metaphysics and so on. Circumstances, however, make it rather difficult to find the truth. The difficulties, if examined from a broader perspective, are a catalyst for developing new ways to discovering the truth.

Where is the truth?

As we grow up, we learn that truth is located externally. It is not within us -we are supposed to be "empty" in this regard- but in the environment: family, teachers, books, ideologies, religions, sciences, the Internet etc. Having been informed thus it is quite predictable that we will seek truth externally. 

Contradictions of External Truth

The most usual problem with external truth is that it is all over the place and often contradictory: One source of information says X, the other says Z. These contradictions can have various effects on us, like the following:

1) We will decide to trust one of the two sources,

2) We will see what others believe regarding X or Z, and go with what the mass believes.

3) We will find someone who -we believe- is better than us in discerning the truth between X and Z and adopt their truth as our truth.

4) We will simply get disappointed and abandon truth seeking altogether from external sources, due to the various contradictions and misplaced trust.

The first way

If we follow the first way, what will happen, sooner or later, is that we will discover that our trust is misplaced and that what the external source said is not true. The first way is the laziest option, by far, but it is inadequate for finding out the truth at a core level.

The second way

If we follow the second way, it's just a matter of time to find out that -at least in some matters- the masses are wrong compared to our own personal experience. The masses would have you convinced that things that you know for a fact aren't valid. Therefore we'll also realize (as a certainty) that what the mass believes is no indication of “right”.

The third way

If we follow the third way, again it's just a matter of time before we become disappointed. There'll come a time when the truth of another won't work for us all the time. The way others see things is related to their own accumulation of external knowledge and personal experiences which will rarely match ours. Thus their truth will not suit our way and their decisions about what is truth will come into conflict with what we feel is really the truth for us.

The fourth way

If we follow the fourth way, we may become stagnant in our learning. Or, and here is the key, we can be triggered, out of frustration, to develop the means necessary to find the truth on our own.

Disillusionment in externals as a Catalyst 

The disappointment in external sources of knowledge is an essential element for catalyzing humans to turn inward for knowledge. One can find that inside of them there are all the necessary resources that will lead them to the truth. They will understand that the universe is designed in such a way so as to purposefully lead us to the conclusion that the only way to consistently and reliably find the truth is by going within. It is there that first-hand knowledge can be obtained and where we can find the necessary truth-guiding tools that will allow us to navigate and realize the truth in any external information presented.

Mutual Exclusivity between External and Internal

It has to be understood that it is not really possible to access internal truth or internal discernment if one is dependent on external truth or external sources (like people, books, sites etc) who are considered better at finding or discerning the truth than we are. There is a subconscious mechanism in each human which programs our own limitation or expansion, depending on what we do. If we are dependent on external information, our subconscious gets the message that we are unable to find internal information on our own. This message turns into a subconscious self-limitation.

Likewise, if we are dependent on other people to find or discern the truth and then convey it to us, it is like telling our subconscious that we are incapable of discerning truth on our own. Every action that says “another will do it for me” is a limiting subconscious self-programming suggestion which will imply “I'm useless to do it my own” and our internal access is shut down as a consequence of this implied self-suggestion.

The Masters and the followers

There is a reason why all the great masters, philosophers and teachers were not “followers”. There is a reason why those who “followed” after the “great ones” very rarely attained anything near the glow or achievements of their master or teacher. The reason is because the very act of following another is a self-limiting declaration which says “I'm lesser than - I'm useless on my own, otherwise I wouldn't need to follow anyone else”. 

All the great masters and teachers achieved what they did because they had the intention to think for themselves and a belief in their own ability to find the truth, rather than basing their hopes on someone else to do it for them. This is the only consistent thing about them that must be emulated or “followed”. Not their personalities, methods, truths etc. 

The Catalytic chain-sequence

Every information that originates in the media, the Internet, the sciences, religions, books, teachers, masters etc, can all serve the same role: To initially trap one into an external-truth dependency. This will lead to problems and frustration, which will lead to stagnation, which will lead to a disillusionment and a conviction that the only way forward for finding the real truth is through developing an inner reliance on one's own self. 

Thus, the external sources are not to be blamed for their inadequacies. Instead, they must be understood and even valued for their catalytic role. It is this catalytic sequence of circumstances that will allow the forging of a new type of self-dependent human rather than an externally-dependent one. Think of it as the child that had to fall a thousand times before learning how to walk. These falls weren't the obstacle. They were the lesson.