Truth, Wisdom, Meaning

The search for truth

The search for wisdom

The search for meaning

… out there somewhere?

or...

The discovery of truth

The discovery of wisdom

The discovery of meaning

… deep in our bones?

Truth, Wisdom, and Meaning are very important words for me. But I find myself using them interchangeably and also using them without a very clear understanding of what they mean, their depth of meaning, and how to use them in a more distinguishable or distinctive way, i.e. unique from each other. This is my attempt.

“We attain wisdom not by creating ideals but by learning to see things clearly, as they are.” (Jack Kornfield)

“The first revolution is when you change your mind about how you look at things and see that there might be another way to look at it that you have not been shown” (Gil Scott-Heron)

Discover the truth wherever it may be found.

Refine the truth through the fire of inner discernment.

Follow the truth wherever it may lead you.

“What is truth? You can see where there is truth and where there isn’t, but I seem to have lost my sight, I see nothing. You boldly settle all the important questions, but tell me, my dear boy, isn’t it because you are young and the questions of the world haven’t hurt you yet?”
(Anton Chechov, The Cherry Orchard)

If one wishes for wisdom,

first prepare for suffering;

Just like gold is 

refined through fire

And light is brightest 

in the deepest darkness.

Truth, Wisdom, and Meaning
for life comes from life

Each and every moment and 

Each and every experience is a teacher.

I GUESS THE QUESTION REALLY IS:

“CAN I LEARN FROM THEM”?

IF SO, “WHAT CAN I LEARN FROM THEM”?

What is MY learning ability?

What is MY learning disability?

Wisdom requires both 

a teacher or a teachable moment

as well as a teachable spirit.

Are we living with our eyes wide open?

Are we living with our ears wide open?

Are we living with our minds wide open?

Are we living with our hearts wide open?

Do we slow down enough to see?

Do we stop long enough to think?

Are we quiet long enough to hear?

Are we living “here” and “now”?

Because right “now” and right “here” 

is where wisdom is. 

Wisdom for life comes from life.

What is Truth?

Which truth? empirical truth, metaphorical truth, ontological truth, relative truth, objective truth,

or, absolute truth, personal truth, abstract truth, concrete truth? 

Truth can be both abstract and concrete, 

transcendent and immanent.

Truth is reality as it is,

a collective perspective,

that no one individual can contain. 

Truth defines both the universe 

and human being. 

Truth can describe 

the great and the small, 

the infinite and the finite,

the nondualistic and the dualistic,

and both the quantum field 

and the vast cosmological field.

The Voice of Truth

We must learn to listen for the voice of truth
from wherever it may come.

Often it is heard from the most
unexpected and obscure sources, people, and places.

The voice of truth is often lost in the chaos and clamor.
Truth can be found in the most hidden and incidental places.
Places we would normally walk by if are scurrying about life;
eyes unopened to the wisdom sitting
behind the newspaper on the bench right next to us.

It can be found in the night sky . . . the smell of a rose . . .
the bird with a broken wing . . . literally and figuratively.

Truth can be heard and seen in the life of
a homeless man on the gutter,
the playful child in the dirt,
and the poet on the corner.

Truth comes from the voice and the graffiti
of the voiceless and the invisible.
It is often heard in the unheard voice of the
poets and the prophets in the margins.

“The words of the prophets are written on the
subway walls and tenement halls.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Poets as Prophets

Truth triggers awareness within, awakening us

…to that which has been dormant

…to that which we have become blind

…to that which we have become deaf

…to that which we have forgotten.

Reminding us what we already know.

Truth opens the eyes to see more clearly.

The poets and the prophets of the age

speak truth awakening inner truth,

a truth from the heart to the heart..

Truth shakes us to the core,

bringing us out of 

our nonchalance and stupor.

Truth can be painfully disruptive of the status quo

like an earthquake leaving nothing unturned.

Truth can bring healing  comfort,

an inner peace anchored in the soul.

Poetry illuminates the inner and outer

landscapes of our lives

. . . allowing truth to be seen.

Listen to the poet.

(RI)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I Believe by Elizabeth Alexander

Poetry is what you find

in the dirt in the corner,

overhear on the bus, God

in the details, the only way

to get from here to there.

Poetry (and now my voice is rising)

is not all love, love, love,

and I’m sorry the dog died.

Poetry (here I hear myself loudest) is the human voice,

and are we not of interest to each other?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What is Wisdom?

Wisdom is both 

external or conventional and 

 internal or discerned wisdom.

External or conventional wisdom is 

collective thought, common assumptions and prejudices, 

passed down from generation to generation

or downloaded from cultural and human constructs.

Conventional wisdom has as its purpose our survival

(allowing us quick recall and quick response).

Discerned wisdom has as its purpose our fulfillment. 

Internal or discerned wisdom is innate. 

It resonates in our bones.

It feels like something that we’ve always known

and all we have to do is remember.

At times, external wisdom, 

with much discernment and contemplation

can be vetted, verified, validated, and 

adopted as internal wisdom.

Wisdom is taking the truth that we know and living it, 

making a difference in our life and in those around us, 

and in our broader community. 

Truth is knowing the golden rule. 

Wisdom is living it out.

“Intelligence is the capacity to perceive the essential, the what is;
and to awaken this capacity, in oneself and in others, is education.
Education should help us to discover lasting values
so that we do not merely cling to formulas or repeat slogans;
it should help us to break down our national and social barriers,
instead of emphasizing them, for they breed antagonism between man and man.”
(Krishnamurti)

From “The Wisdom Way of Knowing”

“The word wisdom has a few a huge range of meanings in common language and in spiritual language.

1. There's a generic sort of wisdom that comes with age and experience and is celebrated in a variety of books on the market today with wisdom in their titles. They have lots of heart warming stories and practical tips for daily living. But this is not the wisdom referred to here.
2. If you are theologically trained you may think wisdom is referring to a book in the old testament, several books in fact, that philosophize on the meaning of life and the standards of ethical conduct. Since the word used for wisdom in these texts is the Greek Sophia, a woman's name, and since wisdom is often personified here as a feminine, perhaps you will assume that this type of wisdom is calling for a greater awareness of feminine dimension of God. But this is not the wisdom referred to here. 
3. If you have been walking the path of contemplative prayer and the spiritual traditions of the Christian mystics, you may assume that what I mean by wisdom is something akin to the “gift of contemplation,” the unitive seeing that comes from many years of meditation and silent retreats. You would probably say that wisdom means to see the oneness of everything and to open your heart to the mystery that lies beyond words. But this is not the wisdom referred to here. 
4. Like the legendary five blind man trying to describe an elephant, each of these definitions picks up a piece of the puzzle, but it's the whole elephant I'm really interested in. When I use the term wisdom, I am designating a precise and comprehensive science of spiritual transformation that has existed since the headwaters of the great world religions and is in fact their common ground. This science involves both theory and practice. The theory part consists of unified cosmology -- in other words, a comprehensive vision of our human purpose and destiny. The practice involves a systematic training for growing into that purpose. How could an ancient cosmology have anything to do with our modern world? That's the astonishing part: the wisdom cosmology is bold, spacious, and remarkably contemporary.” 

This wisdom has at its source both the universe and the human spirit; an ancient knowing that is in our bones and emerges from an individual and collective sacred center of silence. It is the source of all wisdom traditions whether religious or nonreligious, theist or nontheist. It is not based on belief or nonbelief, knowing or unknowing. It just is, has always been, and will always be. The source, a fountain of life available to all.
(Cynthia Bourgeault, The Wisdom Way of Knowing; Reclaiming an Ancient Tradition to Awaken the Heart)

What is Meaning?

"When the center starts to wobble, it's a pretty sure bet that what's lacking is not means but depth; a vision rich and sustaining enough to contain all this restless striving and shape it into a more universal and subtle understanding of human purpose." (Cynthia Bourgeault)

Meaning has to do with the design of a life that is fulfilled. Meaning is very relative and personal. It must be individualized, human centered, and person driven. For me, there are three questions that I’ve been contemplating for 15 years that I feel sum up my lifelong journey. It is the evolving meaning and growth from this process that I get much value from. There is no destination. The meaning and purpose is derived from the journey; and all of the pain and suffering, chaos and tumult, joy and fulfillment. Meaning and purpose is the culmination of wisdom and truth.

1. Who am I? (my Identity). What are my gifts, passions, abilities, interests, and innate wisdom? My identity also includes the question ‘whose’ am I?’ Who supports me, has my back, understands me -- unconditionally; my circle of support?
2. Why am I here? (my Purpose). Some people see this as God given and others see this as something that I naturally came here with. Either way, it is in my bones waiting to be discovered. It is integrally integrated with my identity, my gifts, and all that encompasses who I am.
3. What am I going to do about it? (my Mission). Given what I discover about who I am and why I am here, how then shall I live; how will that affect my life and those around me? Integrity refers to a wholeness where the inner reflects the outer and the outer reflects the inner.

Victor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning

Victor Frankl describes in gruesome detail the incredible internal struggle of finding a reason for simply opening one’s eyes for another day; taking one more step… one more breath.

From the depths of a concentration camp he offers us what gives life meaning.

1. All things can be taken from us except for one thing, our freedom to choose how we respond to life.
2. All people are here with a purpose greater than ourselves. Life requires each of us to find and follow this mission, which can only be found within.

“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men

who walked through the huts comforting others, 

giving away their last piece of bread.

They may have been few in number, 

but they offer sufficient proof that 

everything can be taken from a man 

but one thing:

the last of the human freedoms

—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances…”

“The meaning of our existence is not invented by ourselves, but rather detected.” p.157

“What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general, but rather the specific meaning of a person’s life at a given moment.” p.171

“We can discover this meaning in life in three different ways: (1) by doing a deed; (2) by experiencing a value; and (3) by suffering.” p.176

“Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life.”

A Hidden Wholeness

There is in all visible things
an invisible fecundity,
a dimmed light,
a meek namelessness,
a hidden wholeness.
This mysterious Unity and Integrity is Wisdom,
the Mother of all,
Natura naturans.

There is in all things
an inexhaustible sweetness and purity,
a silence that is a fount of action and joy.
It rises up in wordless gentleness
and flows out to me
from the unseen roots
of all created being,
welcoming me tenderly,
saluting me with indescribable humility.

This is at once my own being,
my own nature,
and the Gift
of my Creator’s Thought and Art
within me,
speaking as Hagia Sophia,
speaking as my sister,
Wisdom.

(from The Collected Poems of Thomas Merton)

Natura naturans: Natura naturans is a Latin tag coined during the Middle Ages, meaning "Nature naturing", or more loosely, "nature doing what nature does"

https://ronirvine.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/the-search-for-truth/

https://ronirvine.wordpress.com/2008/11/19/the-search-for-meaning/

https://ronirvine.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/the-power-of-poetry/