Truth with a Capital T

There is an ancient story in which six blind men are asked to describe an elephant. Each man touches one part of the animal, and they all come to different conclusions about what it is like. Each one is so convinced of his own veracity that they come to blows about what an elephant truly is. While each is correct in his own observations, none of them has a complete picture.

That story reminds me of how difficult it is to discern Truth. How do we come to know Truth, Truth with a capital T, especially in matters of Spirit? Our world is filled with many different competing versions of Truth. Every religion has its version of who and what is God/Goddess. Every religion has its version of what is just and moral. The adherents of each are certain that their version is the only right version, and that only their followers are worthy.  But what if there is a kernel of Truth in each one? And how do those of us who long for a closer walk with Spirit discern what is true?

I was watching a podcast the other day on the subject of anti-racism. The speaker talked about how my experience and her experience might be different, but each is equally true. Just because I haven’t experienced what you have does not negate your experience. Just because you haven’t lived my experience doesn’t make my experience any less valid.

However, in today’s world, the tendency is to deny the experience of others while doubling down on the truth of our own. And so we have become almost hopelessly divided – each of us wrapped in our own version of Truth, each of us insisting that we are right and that others are wrong.

As I have been thinking about my own Truth with a capital T, I have begun to think of Truth in terms of love. As I examine my own thoughts and the thoughts of others, I am finding myself following the breadcrumbs of love. What ideas are based on love? What actions are based on love? Where does love fit into the theory or the religion or the law or the politics of what is happening in the outer world? Do my actions lead to abundant life for all, or do they lead to abundant life only for some? Are my thoughts and actions based on love or are they based on greed or protection? Are they based on what others think or on what someone else has told me is right, or are they based on what will be the greater good for all?

However, following these breadcrumbs will not automatically lead me to the easiest personal path. There will be many wrenching decisions in which I will have to discern the path that leads to the most loving outcome. I think of those life and death decisions that are never easy or clear-cut. Questions like – do I remove life support for a beloved parent? do I leave a toxic situation to save myself? do I allow my child to fail? – these are all gut-wrenching, all-consuming questions that have no easy answers. They force me to examine myself and my own motives. They force me to try to find the most loving solutions, both for myself and others.

Maybe there is no Truth with a Capital T. But opening myself to love opens up my mind to many possibilities. It allows me to see the whole elephant, to be open to what others may be experiencing, to understand a different vision of truth. Following the bread crumbs of love may not lead to Truth with a capital T, but it does lead to greater harmony and understanding in my own dealings with others and opens the way for a clearer vision of the path that I must walk.

Barbara Garland
December, 2020