Pete wants you to know that truth is always visible to those who seek it. But the eye of perception must be transparent --- Not colored by Aunt Minnie's opinion, a desire for the preacher's approval, hopes that what one wants to be true is actually true, and a consequent glossing over of anything contrary, or fears about being wrong, expectations based on past, not present, facts, and traumas that predispose us to see life with a fanciful, embellishing streak, or a jaundiced evil eye. So, when we look at the world and think we see truth, we must always stop to check the lens through which we are looking. Is it is clear, transparent, and impartial? Are we seeing objectively, wanting to see what is actually there? Or is our lens fogged up with what we have been told by somebody else is there? Or what we fear is there? Or what we hope is there? Until we are masters of perception, there will always be some taint in our perception. Learning to see true is a lifelong process of clearing the perception as we go along. It begins with a true desire for the truth and being honest with ourselves. It involves having clear values and living them. It's all about who we are, what we really stands for, how we live, taking responsibility for our life, and walking our talk. The truth has to do with calling a spade a spade and having the same ethics under any and all circumstances and not allowing double standards. Double standards split the self in half; there is no integrity. Apparently many people think it's OK to have one truth in church and a different truth in politics, that it's OK to compromise integrity and ethics because the end justifies the means. But the means and the end are not two different things; they are of one piece, like a brick. Or a seed. The end grows out of the means; the means are its source and parent. How can the end be different from the means? We have seen historically over and over and over how the end will always reflect the means and provide the momentum for its continuation. Fire has never put out fire. It only makes a bigger fire. |
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AuthorLinda R. Reneau Archives
December 2019
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