This verity can be summed up in 12 simple words familiar to most of us: “Ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall set you free.”
Yet the challenge in that simplicity is that we live in a world that frequently confuses facts with Truth. We live in a world in which we are continually bombarded with facts that distract us from the Truth that we know. For example, the fact is that while we enjoy an evening of warmth, fellowship and plenty, somewhere right now someone is cold and hungry. But the Truth is that this is an abundant universe in which there is more than enough for everyone.
The fact is that somewhere in the world right now, someone is using violence to hurt or harm another. Yet the Truth is that we are each individualized expressions of infinite love, and that Love is the most powerful force in the universe.
The fact is that somewhere, there has been a diagnosis of an incurable disease. The Truth is that we are unblockable, unstoppable expressions of an infinite life that knows only wholeness.
The fact is that earlier today, someone left the kitchen towel wadded up in ball on the counter instead of hanging where it can dry, and that is something that I find really annoying. And the Truth is, that someone is a person who I adore, and every day I am grateful and proud to share my life with him.
And so our challenge is to remember that, yes, facts matter—they do matter!—but our work is to see beyond the facts to the Truth that is back of everything. And as we seek that Truth, we must be mindful not to fall prey to the idea that if we just collect all the right facts, or enough facts, we can intellectually add it all up into the Truth. Because when we speak of ‘knowing’ the Truth, we’re not speaking in terms of having factual information about something or someone. We’re talking about ‘knowing’ in the sense that you know your brother, you know your lover, you know yourself. So how does one come to know the Truth?
The same way that one comes to know anyone: By spending time with them—one-one-one, focused uninterrupted time. By listening deeply and closely. By being curious about them, open to surprises, and engaging in a life-long intimate relationship in which you know there is always more to discover. And as we spend this time, we come to truly know the Truth. And soon, we find it isn’t ‘me’ and ‘the Truth;’ we find there is only the One. And in this knowing of the Truth, the ‘facts’ no longer distract us, the circumstance no longer hold us hostage. For as we know the Truth, we are truly set free.
Written By Wendy Greene, ALSP
