[:en]Truth = Reality[:]

[:en] 

You who build these altars now 

to sacrifice these children, 

you must not do it anymore. 

A scheme is not a vision 

and you never have been tempted 

by a demon or a god. 

You who stand above them now, 

your hatchets blunt and bloody, 

you were not there before, 

when I lay upon a mountain 

and my father’s hand was trembling 

with the beauty of the word. 

        –   Leonard Cohen 

              (from ‘The Story of Isaac’)

 

 

 

When we think of ‘the Truth’, we may well think of Telling the Truth … of NOT LYING.  

(and we have a name for people who speak the truth (and do not deceive);  we say that they are HONEST.

 

But if we are to have any chance of understanding the mind of our current president (the POTUS) … we will need to understand his relationship to (both) TRUTH … and REALITY.

 

But before trying that, let’s take a few steps back … for some CONTEXT.

 

The Requirements of Living confront us ALL.

 

We are (always) in some Situation or another.  And besides the particular situation, we are in a

‘Generic’ … a general situation.  Let’s call it the Basic Human Situation.  (And it’s to an aspect of this Basic situation … that I now draw your attention.)

 

The Tasks of Living are several  (five, perhaps). The first one is – that we are confronted with is the necessity of comprehending the Nature of our Situation.

 

So –

What’s the Nature of my Situation?

What are my Alternatives of Action?

How will the world unfold … if I choose this path, or that one?

What do I care about? / (Who do I love?)

Taking action.

 

Suppose, for example, that you are driving a car.  You’re driving at the speed of the cars around you (which happens to be pretty fast) … and then you come to a curve in the road.  Now, if the road surface happens to be slippery (with rain, or snow, or ice) then you would do well to take into account that your situation has changed.  It may be that reducing your speed is the choice that is needed to keep your car from skidding off the road or into the lane of oncoming traffic.  

 

We (routinely) depend upon a clear assessment of our Situation … to keep ourselves ALIVE.  

 

We should also take good care of our Repertoire of Choices … (and tend it as we would a rose garden.)  When we are driving, we should ask ourselves (often) – “Am I leaving enough distance in front of me? (leaving enough space between my car and the one ahead?)   “Am I driving slow enough?” Such choices keep us alive (and/or keep us from killing someone else !)

 

If we are driving, and our FAMILY is riding in our car, then we are especially careful.  Why? Because we love them.

 

As Rumi says –

 

Someone who does not run

toward the allure of love

walks a road where nothing lives. 

 

Life is ours

in as far as our lives are love-driven and love oriented.

 

And we strive to comprehend the Truth because we understand

that therein lies the power to make choices … to cause the events of the world

to unfold in such a way that the people we love will enjoy good health and (we hope) be happy.

 

And Truth has to do with Reality.

“Truth” is our apprehension of Reality.

When our comprehension of the nature of Reality approaches the way it really IS … then we say that we comprehend the truth.

 

Reality is what ‘The Truth’ is (always) ABOUT !

 

Truth = Reality.       Mmm?

 

And – by “Reality” … we mean:  That which IS.   That which exists ON ITS OWN.

 

The fact that Science exists (as a collective enterprise – a cooperative effort to understand the natural world) bears witness to our need (and the value) to understand Reality (the Truth).

 

And this Pursuit of the Truth (always) takes place in (what I described last week) as the Zone of Philosophy.

 

Normal people have a USE for (and are routinely INVOLVED in) the pursuit of truth (trying to understand the nature of our Situation / the nature of Reality.

 

Did you notice the emboldened line in the epigram?    (‘A scheme is not a vision’)?

 

Cohen is telling us – that when we are love-oriented (and we have a plan … a goal) to make the world better for its (beloved) inhabitants  … THAT IS A VISION. (such as Deganawida’s [deliberate] efforts to create the Iroquois Confederacy … and the Great Peace. This is an example of a Leader wanting [and creating] a better world.  A Vision.

 

But

What if you are completely Selfish?  Then all your plans and goals will be only to serve yourSELF !     In such a case, the best you will be able to come up with is … a “Scheme”!   Mmm?

 

THIS is why our Mr. Trump can not be a leader … Because he DOES NOT LOVE.

 

He has no Visions … only SCHEMES    (because he is Completely Selfish) He thinks everything is ABOUT HIM !

THAT’S how he LIVES HIS LIFE.

 

Adulation (& admiration, & fealty) are a poor substitute for Love.  But it’s the best thing he can come up with.

 

You can say that he is ‘narcissistic’ … or that he is a ‘pathological liar’ … but these terms will probably NOT help you to understand him.

 

He’s BEYOND that really.

 

He SAYS he is ‘Very Normal’ … but he is NOT normal.

 

As long as we think that he is (basically) like US … we will not understand him.

 

[If you want to understand him … I suggest you study ‘Lucifer’ (in the Urantia Book.  Info at end of essay.)]

Trump does NOT LIE … not in the way WE understand lying.  He does not have ANY relationship with the Truth.  

Because his sense of Reality (within his personal Schematic … his sense of his own Basic Situation) is completely disrupted    (or perhaps it’s been destroyed)

We have all heard people refer to “my truth” / (“It’s true for me.”) … which implies that we DO NOT LIVE IN THE SAME WORLD … that we do NOT SHARE A PUBLIC REALITY.

Donald Trump (the way he is RIGHT NOW) shows us where this line of thinking is heading.     For he has arrived.

 

We (most people) have a use for the truth.  We want to understand reality better, because we want to make our LIVES better.

 

But this is NOT how our Mr. Trump functions. He has NO INTEREST in the truth.  AT ALL.   BECAUSE he (thinks he) has NO USE for Reality.  

 

Everything (from his point of view) is ABOUT HIM.  He’s an emotional four-year old … who simply Wants what he Wants.  And he’s going to GET it, if he CAN.

 

And what does he want?  Money. Power. Influence.  Followers. Approval. Fealty.  Adulation.

 

Perhaps he has been “eaten” by (modern) Social Media.  Consider his Tweets.  I think THAT’S real to him.  He wants a following.  I think he has substituted (his base’s) perception of him for Reality.  For him – Perception is primary.

 

In the last few decades I have observed a shift in how this society regards Reality.  There has been a marked increase in the view that Perception is an important form of Primary Reality.  [Consider our increasing dependence upon public opinion polls.   Donald Trump has simply (within his own psyche) carried this trend to its (logical) conclusion.]

 

Each and every ONE of us knows something about Selfishness & Self-Absorption … because we are ALL afflicted with it.  We all do it.

 

But this is NOT WHERE TRUMP IS.

(That is … not Selfishness as we know it)

 

Narcissist?

Solipsist?

Compulsive Liar?

 

I suppose so … but none of these terms are adequate.

 

I think that “where he is”  (WHO he has become) … is now probably beyond our comprehension.

 

But I’m pretty sure – that it would NOT be worth going there

 … just in order to find out what it’s like.

 

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

53. The Lucifer Rebellion

1. The Leaders of Rebellion
2. The Causes of Rebellion
3. The Lucifer Manifesto
4. Outbreak of the Rebellion
5. Nature of the Conflict
6. A Loyal Seraphic Commander
7. History of the Rebellion
8. The Son of Man on Urantia
9. Present Status of the Rebellion

54. Problems of the Lucifer Rebellion

1. True and False Liberty
2. The Theft of Liberty
3. The Time Lag of Justice
4. The Mercy Time Lag
5. The Wisdom of Delay                                            Twelve reasons

6. The Triumph of Love

– (excerpted from the Contents of The Urantia Book)

~ ~ ~

https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-53-lucifer-rebellion?term=%2253%22#U53_0_0

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

Story of Isaac

  by    Leonard Cohen

The door it opened slowly, 

my father he came in, 

I was nine years old. 

And he stood so tall above me, 

his blue eyes they were shining 

and his voice was very cold. 

He said, “I’ve had a vision 

and you know I’m strong and holy, 

I must do what I’ve been told.” 

So he started up the mountain, 

I was running, he was walking, 

and his axe was made of gold. 

 

Well, the trees they got much smaller, 

the lake a lady’s mirror, 

we stopped to drink some wine. 

Then he threw the bottle over. 

Broke a minute later 

and he put his hand on mine. 

Thought I saw an eagle 

but it might have been a vulture, 

I never could decide. 

Then my father built an altar, 

he looked once behind his shoulder, 

he knew I would not hide. 

You who build these altars now 

to sacrifice these children, 

you must not do it anymore. 

A scheme is not a vision 

and you never have been tempted 

by a demon or a god. 

You who stand above them now, 

your hatchets blunt and bloody, 

you were not there before, 

when I lay upon a mountain 

and my father’s hand was trembling 

with the beauty of the word. 

And if you call me brother now, 

forgive me if I inquire, 

“Just according to whose plan?” 

When it all comes down to dust 

I will kill you if I must, 

I will help you if I can. 

When it all comes down to dust 

I will help you if I must, 

I will kill you if I can. 

And mercy on our uniform, 

man of peace or man of war, 

the peacock spreads his fan.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y36zbbuX7w[:]