Long and the short of it--- 4.29.17

Previous   Next

Note:  This is the fourth of the series, which is just now being christened.  Back in February of last year, I had an inspiration to write some long pieces, which is out of character for me.  I have just received a new inspiration to write another, so I will combine it with the others and make a new series out of it.

Hopefully, this series will be worth reading.  It will be longer than the usual fare, so it may take longer than a minute to read.  Just think how long it takes to write it.  Much longer than it takes to read it, I assure you.  Anyway, so much for this introduction to the introduction, so to speak.

Here goes:

This may not be so long after all.  I started out with an outline of what I wanted to say.  I thought: my writings are short because I am disorganized.  Maybe so.  But sometimes words can get in the way.

I wanted to recap what came before.  The truth is that I am bored.  Writing the same thing over and over again is just make work.  This has to be substantially new.  Or so I think at the moment.

I am writing now because I'm bored, not inspired.  Only to do something against the boredom.

There is a problem these days.  It is that people won't listen.  I think it is called groupthink. 

Here is something hopefully new:

What is your center?  Is it not what is in your soul, or your innermost being?  As for myself, I want to be for the truth (see John 8:44).  Easy to say, not so easy to do, because the truth is a slippery thing.

Here might be a controversial idea: Jesus is of the truth, and the truth is like the hair of Sampson, the strength of the nation.  "Cut off" that hair, and the nation is no longer what it was.  But a scientist is a seeker of truth.  Yet, only a seeker.  Not the truth itself.  A truthful scientist is humble before the facts.  For example, Einstein added the cosmological constant to his famous equation , which was against his better judgment.  When years later, it seemed to be no longer required, he thanked Hubble for it.  But it turns out that it was needed again.  So, what was the truth?  Einstein was humble enough to admit that he didn't know for sure.  And even though he may have been the greatest scientist ever lived, he was wrong about something, even though in his heart, he believed he was right.

Being arrogant in the face of the facts is like cutting yourself off from the truth.  It is like cutting off the hair of Sampson.  Try to note that when you observe people who wish to shut down the speech of someone with whom they have a disagreement.  Someone like that may not want the truth to be known.

My vanity is that I think I am seeking the truth, and that I am for the truth.  The real truth may not be the same, and it worries me.