"What is real, how do you define real? If you are talking about what you can touch, what you can taste hear and see then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain".- Morpheus
What are we to think about all the different churches, philosophies, gurus, teachings, and other assorted points of view which purport to be windows onto Truth? If the universe is ultimately One, isn’t there a religion or spiritual revelation which is the real one … that has all the answers? Isn’t there a philosophy which is the Truth, in which people may believe and have confidence, and which will eliminate the confusion of there being many different ways of expressing knowledge of Reality?
But we might also ask why all people don’t dress alike, speak alike, or eat the same foods. Is such diversity a problem? Why is it that some people are predominantly intellectual, others mainly emotional, and still others essentially physical in their orientation? Do we imagine that a band of nomad warriors, utterly lacking in technological awareness, represents Truth in a way which will satisfy someone who has been raised in an environment of Western scientific sophistication? And do we think that our modern technological knowledge equips us more adequately to recognize Truth than do the aimless songs of an unschooled child sitting in a field of flowers?
Many people, for example, speak with great eloquence about the unerring applicability of the law of cause and effect, yet any student of modern physics knows there are levels of the super-small where that “law” is not a law at all. Most persons are trained from birth to differentiate certain parts out of the whole universe and treat them as separate, learning to manipulate those “parts” and feeling very clever about it. But another perspective sees that manipulation as having been a hysterically funny exercise of the manipulator’s ego, while the universe simply flows and grows. Some persons are certain that understanding the mechanics of nature is a prerequisite to enlightenment, while others believe that feeling oneself connected to nature is required.
Who among all of these people is right? In a multilingual world, what is the right language? In an orchestra, which instrument really expresses music the best? What is the right way to feel about life? What is Truth?
The answer is, of course, that there is no final answer. We may properly strive to eliminate from our consciousness that which is anti-Truth, but once we have begun earnestly to do so, we are not likely to find that Truth, itself, has one particular form. Nor are we likely to devise any special teaching, philosophy, or religion which satisfies everyone – otherwise the Truth might prove to be limited and dull.
People who yearn to know why will adhere to a philosophy which offers answers. People who don’t care for answers may seek a way of life which promises profound experience of the self. Those who like large groups and deeply meaningful ritual will gravitate to a different expression of Truth than those who prefer solitude and quiet communion. Who is right? Which is best? Where is Truth being most adequately represented? Which is better – blue or green?
