Things are not always as they seem, and the world is full of shadows. What few lights we have are weak and flickering, and our eyes will always strain to make out what is in front of us.
Two things are clear: one cannot know everything, and one cannot know anything for certain. Truisms are only true within themselves. One and one is two for certain within mathematics, it can never be more than an approximation of reality.
And yet we must choose a path, for life always goes forward. But how can we choose, when we have only limited information?
Our minds work in paradigms, or models of what we perceive reality to be. These paradigms determine how we act: a man whose paradigm describes his life as an individualistic struggle against overwhelming odds will act differently from one whose paradigm describes a world ordained by the total providence of God, and differently from one whose paradigm describes a world that is illusion concealing an underlying oneness.
Because these paradigms are the basis for how we act, it is important that we choose them carefully, and change cautiously. Most humans simply accept the paradigm they are given in childhood. Others change their paradigms based on a single emotional experience. Some are based on the closest thing we have to truth: our physical senses, our communications with other thinking beings, and the ineffable inspirations of human souls.
These conduits to truth introduce experiences into our minds. The existence of ourselves, of others, and of the physical world are experiences. So are experiments which demonstrate how closely the language of mathematics can describe those parts of reality which seem to operate according to uniform laws: physics, chemistry, electronics, medicine. So are the perceptions that occur when we hear a beautiful piece of music or read a beautiful work of literature. The look in a lover’s eyes when she trusts you is an experience. The shattering of your heart when a lover betrays you is also an experience.
Paradigms arise to contain and give structure to experiences, in order to make them useful for action. A woman betrayed often by men may form a paradigm wherein men are pigs, and act accordingly. A man for whom women fall easily may form a paradigm wherein women are whores, and act accordingly. A brilliant man like Einstein accumulates a vast array of seemingly unrelated experiences, both his own and those related to him by others, and form a paradigm that changes the world: relativity. A great man like Christ may take experiences of action and consequences, and form a paradigm to give men peace: Christianity. A corrupt man may take experiences of control and material gain by the belief of others, and form a paradigm to wage war in a peaceful savior’s name: religion.
So how may we best choose our paradigms? The easiest way is to simply accept one given you. To accept whole the stories told you by your government, by your pastor, by your employer, is easy, and may result in a sort of peace. For you, peace will be easiest if you are ignorant, for education introduces new experiences which may not be compatible with your current paradigms. If you are clever, you may be able to stretch your paradigm to accept the facts. If your desire for your paradigm is strong enough, you may be able to rewrite your experiences in your own mind, the way a doting wife might willfully ignore the scent of a different perfume on her husband’s dinner jacket.
These are easy. These are safe. These will make you a willing sheep for whichever shepherd you choose to follow, and it cannot be denied that most sheep are at least content.
Reality–the Truth–is infinitely larger and more complex than we will ever understand. Our paradigms will never be more than crude diagrams, and no matter how hard we try, most of them will be wrong. Insisting on forming these paradigms for yourself will result in a life of constant struggle, constant doubt, and little peace of mind. As a certain book says, the way is narrow, and there are few who follow it. So don’t bother–learn little, think little, and whatever it is you believe, believe it with all your heart. Do not question authority, and you will find your place in life as another gear in a great and ponderous machine.
But of course, you are still reading. You are still reading because you know, from the part of your mind that is deeper than words can reach, that it’s the narrow path that’s worth walking on, as steep and long as it may be. It will be lonely: every journey on it will be different, and at its heart, everyone must travel it alone. Take some comfort in the fact that your fellow travelers will make for interesting company.
There is no sign pointing to this path. Here is how you will find it. Question everything. Question authority, question common sense, question the first glance and the first impression, and most importantly, question yourself. The first step is yours; understand yourself, or you will understand nothing. Always learn, always seek new experience, always seek, always struggle. Pay the most attention to those experiences which conflict with your paradigm; either your paradigm is false, or the experience is. Always look at both sides of an argument, and realize that there are never only two. Always be willing to change, but change carefully–the way is as rocky as it is narrow, and flightiness is the surest way to stumble.
Above all, realize that this is your path. Walking here was your choice. Your mistakes are your responsibility, as are your successes, and only your successes. On this path, you have no right to blame your upbringing for your beliefs, to blame your neighbors for the state of your own home, or to blame the social structures for your own condition. You have declared yourself to be yourself, and personal responsibility is the consequence of your declaration. And if you succeed in your path, try not to let it go for your head; earnest inquiry in any direction will reveal that this universe, this reality, is a far bigger place than any of us could possibly imagine.
You stand now at a crossroads in the dark. Don’t follow the hoof prints and the sound of bleating. Stand straight, breathe deep, and look carefully. What you choose will influence the rest of your life.
Walk well, and keep the wind at your back.
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Image credit: LostMyHeadache
