The Subject of Today's Sermon is.......
Why I don't lie.
Actually, I mainly don't lie because, generally, I can't. It's not that I'm a bad liar. I did a lot of very successful lying in my youth. It just feels entirely wrong now. But, cerebral as I am, I have thought about what it might be that feels so wrong.
"The truth shall set you free". This quote is, I think, widely misunderstood. It is not the truth about "God" that sets us free, it is the truth about anything at all. Awareness of any particular moment's truth, or identity, allows us to resolve that moment as it happens, instead of brooding, and justifying or ignoring it, and building up entire world views that are (to reach into my ready supply of biblical quotes) built on the sand. Actually, we don't need world views at all. They are unnecessary luggage. The world is right here. All we have to do is look at it. The lightness of being that is the result of this immediate recognition and resolution leads to a search for truth in all moments. We are set free from our false constructions.
Each moment is like a seed with a pod on it, and we have the ability to remove the pod and see the seed. The purpose of the seed is to be seen, and let go of, so it can fall into the soil and grow. Instead, we generally look at the pod, and put it in our suitcases with all the other pods. We have a lot of compartments in our suitcases, and we spend a good deal of time and energy deciding which pods should be grouped together where. We tend to carry around an enormous weight with us across nearly barren ground, entirely unnecessarily, when we could be walking through a garden in which each plant is there to be examined at will. As far as all those old, accumulated pods go, there is no need to sit down and go through the contents of that suitcase before ditching it. Any necessary seed will surely turn up again in its own time. It would be a practicle impossibility to relive all those moments anyway.
And why wouldn't I lie, even if I could more easily? It would seem that every lie I tell someone is the equivilant of handing them an empty pod. It is a source of confusion, causing them to create a false image of reality that incorporates my lie. It becomes less likely that they will realize that the seeds are what is important. It becomes less likely that they will throw away their suitcases. I have no right to do that to anyone, even an enemy. I might be (probably would be) weak and lie to save myself or someone else, but I don't believe it would be the right thing to do. Well, maybe I could lie, as long as I told the truth afterwards. I'll have to wait untill I'm in that moment and see.
Actually, I mainly don't lie because, generally, I can't. It's not that I'm a bad liar. I did a lot of very successful lying in my youth. It just feels entirely wrong now. But, cerebral as I am, I have thought about what it might be that feels so wrong.
"The truth shall set you free". This quote is, I think, widely misunderstood. It is not the truth about "God" that sets us free, it is the truth about anything at all. Awareness of any particular moment's truth, or identity, allows us to resolve that moment as it happens, instead of brooding, and justifying or ignoring it, and building up entire world views that are (to reach into my ready supply of biblical quotes) built on the sand. Actually, we don't need world views at all. They are unnecessary luggage. The world is right here. All we have to do is look at it. The lightness of being that is the result of this immediate recognition and resolution leads to a search for truth in all moments. We are set free from our false constructions.
Each moment is like a seed with a pod on it, and we have the ability to remove the pod and see the seed. The purpose of the seed is to be seen, and let go of, so it can fall into the soil and grow. Instead, we generally look at the pod, and put it in our suitcases with all the other pods. We have a lot of compartments in our suitcases, and we spend a good deal of time and energy deciding which pods should be grouped together where. We tend to carry around an enormous weight with us across nearly barren ground, entirely unnecessarily, when we could be walking through a garden in which each plant is there to be examined at will. As far as all those old, accumulated pods go, there is no need to sit down and go through the contents of that suitcase before ditching it. Any necessary seed will surely turn up again in its own time. It would be a practicle impossibility to relive all those moments anyway.
And why wouldn't I lie, even if I could more easily? It would seem that every lie I tell someone is the equivilant of handing them an empty pod. It is a source of confusion, causing them to create a false image of reality that incorporates my lie. It becomes less likely that they will realize that the seeds are what is important. It becomes less likely that they will throw away their suitcases. I have no right to do that to anyone, even an enemy. I might be (probably would be) weak and lie to save myself or someone else, but I don't believe it would be the right thing to do. Well, maybe I could lie, as long as I told the truth afterwards. I'll have to wait untill I'm in that moment and see.
posted by Jeanne at 15:47
6 Comments:
wow. that was brilliant and beautiful writing! i carried the suitcase. i seperated my pods even though i didn't want to, just because i was scared of losing some of them, even though they don't mean anything- like having a huge backlog of books you have yet to read. that is far and away one of the most touching posts i've read. i suppose it just touched me personally. i have a tendancy to collect pods and make things very confusing instead resolving things as they happen. i don't think i do it on purpose. i think i just need to concentrate more on shaving away the meaningless pod. for some, it doesn't come naturally.
Fille-
It's not like I manage to see the seeds myself all the time!
But thank you.
“It is not the truth about "God" that sets us free, it is the truth about anything at all.”
What a great thought. A believer might respond that God is present in all things – and so in all truth, but that doesn’t seem to be your point: open-mindedness to the truth – whatever that is – is the idea. This is the purest form of bravery.
Our worldview always colors our perceptions and beliefs. I don’t know how easy it is to *completely* detach from any preconceived worldview … just communicating thought would become impossible without some context, but I really appreciate the idea of letting go whenever possible. We do like to cling to the old ways and thoughts, no? It makes us feel comfortable and safe, but safe is often not a good thing. This is what drives many of us to different forms of fundamentalism when we become frightened.
Great post!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Gar-
I wrote something and took it away. If you saw it, so be it. If you didn't, it wasn't unfriendly. I just changed my mind about saying it. Perhaps another time.
Post a Comment
<< Home