The First Step in Finding Truth
Who is searching for the truth?
To some degree or another, all of us.
Perhaps there are some who don’t care. Perhaps there are a limited few who think that truth doesn’t matter. But the majority of us want to discover and to know truth.
We want truth to help us choose what purpose to devote our lives to. We want truth to guide us through the dark times of life when so much is hidden and uncertain. We want truth to help us live a better story.
Despite our efforts, truth can be hard to find.
photo by Martin Gommel (creative commons license)
In his book, One Minute Wisdom (affiliate link), Anthony DeMello gives us insight into an important step in the search for truth. The books is a collection of short interactions between a person referred to as the Master and either his students or the general public.
One story gives his insight into an important aspect in the discovery of truth.
To a visitor who described himself as a seeker after the Truth, the Master said, “If what you seek is Truth, there is one thing you must have above all else.”
“I know. An overwhelming passion for it.”
“No,” the Master replied. “An unremitting readiness to admit you may be wrong.”
If we refuse to question what we believe, if we are unwilling to accept the idea that we could be mistaken, if we absolutely refuse to believe that the truth we hold onto is possibly not truth, then we will never discover what is true.
If you are not wrong, why would you ever consider a different possibility?
A sign that you refuse to search for truth is that you fight over what you believe to be true. You refuse to listen. And you will remained ignorant of what could potentially be truth.
Those who generally interested in truth do the opposite.
One thing that I absolutely know to be true about truth is that nobody has a perfect grasp on it. Nobody completely gets it. Nobody understands everything.
All of us are wrong about something. If not a lot of things.
The only way to break free of our incorrect assumptions is to start by questioning them. And once we are willing to free ourselves of our thinking, then we can potentially discover what is true.
How can you readily admits you might be wrong? Here are a few suggestions.
1. Stop and listen. It seems that truth comes more often in a posture of silence than it does in noise. Espcially when you are the one making the noise.
2. Try new things. New food. New cultures. New church. New books. New whatever.
3. Question everything. Why do you believe one thing to be true and not another? Why do you choose to live your life the way you do? Because it is better? Or because that is the way you always have?
