It seems that life gets stranger by the day. The more we learn the less we seem to know about it.
Why?
Maybe we forgot that the truth is far simpler then we think.
If it is a simple thing, what is stopping us from knowing it?
After thinking on this question for a few days I came to a conclusion.
We are naturally inquisitive creatures and spend a good amount of time investigating our world. There is a lot to dig into, especially with the development of the internet.
But at some level we do arrive at a general truth or the truth about a particular issue. Most often, we reject it because it is not what we want it to be. In spite of this, we continue to dig, rarely finding what we expect is hiding just below the surface. We gain facts, but no wisdom and become increasingly discontent as a society.
(Wisdom is the positive and efficacious use of facts guided by experience and good judgment.)
Today more then ever, our high standard of living and our reliance on technology to solve every problem imaginable – physical, cultural, emotional and spiritual – is reinforcing our method of searching for expectations and not the truth.
Consequently, it is pushing us farther away from the simple truths that are right in front of us. Sad to say, most leaders from around the world seem to suffer from the same faulty thinking.
The history books I have read over the years have shown me that this kind of thinking appears in many societies at many different times. When it becomes the dominate perception on all levels of the society, it usually ends poorly for all involved.
So, what might a few of those simple, over looked truths be?
The ten commandments. For any culture to thrive it needs a moral standard that is unalterable. Build your house on rock, not sand.
Use the tools at hand. Most of the tools we need to succeed have been given to us on the day we were born! We just have to identify what they are and learn to use them wisely.
Take responsibility for your own life. It is yours and no one else’s.
Our biggest obstacle and opportunity is our own personality. Employe the ancient Greek maxim – Know thyself. (This was the first of the three maxims inscribed above the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi – circa 6th century B.C..)
Listen to the older generations. Everything we are doing, and have yet to do, they have probably done. There is so much wisdom to learn from them if we listen.
Be generous, be kind. Everyone is fighting a battle we know nothing about.
Prairie Beacon 