Social Psychologist & Personal Advisor

The Goal within Your Control:
Becoming Honest & True

What is TRUTH?
 by Dr Matt Moody 

It takes wisdom . . . to recognize wisdom
The music is nothing, if the audience is deaf!

The Nature of Truth? Within each epistemology for establishing truth there resides an implication of what "the nature of truth" might be. And in most cases, truth is conceived as a property of accurately stated words or accurately conceived ideas that correctly characterize world realities. As word-descriptions or ideas align with reality, they are said to correspond. Hence one version of the "nature of Truth" is called the "Correspondence Theory of Truth."

But in assessing the overlap between "correct ideas" and "reality," all ideas must necessarily take the form of word-symbols; thus, the correspondence between "correct statements" and "reality" IS where most theories about "the nature of truth" end up — such is called "Propositional Truth."

Even the epistemology of Revelation tends to trap truth within the limiting confines of word-symbols. It's common for people to view "the words of the Bible" as the truth. When this notion is taken too literally, people unwittingly give priority to representations over referents; meaning, ink symbols on paper are conceived as "truth" — instead of the referents, or realities, to which the symbols point.

Failure to distinguish between Representations versus Realites creates a huge problem, because books of "scripture" are printed in hundreds of languages and are subject to thousands of interpretations. To bypass the thorny problem of interpretation, we can enter into inquiries of "Truth" from an entirely different perspective and begin with a different question: Is the primary aim of sacred scripture to conceive ideas correctly, or is the aim of Holy Words ultimately to apply true principles faithfully? Isn't the highest aim and intention of Holy Writ to live inspired precepts, and to become Holy?

Moses taught that living bibilical precepts is paramount: "What doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to . . . walk in all his ways" (Deut. 10:12; also see 1 Peter 2:21; Matt. 5:48). Thus the "nature of Truth" need not primarily reside in correctly-conceived ideas or accurately-stated words, but in faithfully "living" in alignment with the Word. This means that Divine Truth, the highest Truth, is understood best as a Way of living. This approach to truth explains why Jesus called Himself "the way" and "the truth."

The nature of Truth boils down to these two fundamental possibilities:

Truth as Essence:   Truth as Correct Representations — truth as a property of verbal and written language; hence, truth exists as essence within a metaphysical realm of immaterial Accurate Ideas.

Truth as Existence:   Truth as Living Realities to which Correct Representations point — Truth as the faithful application of true principles, with words bearing witness of a Living Truth called "the way."

Of the following perspectives, the first two are the more common paradigms for conceiving truth as Essence, and the last is less common but the superior paradigm because it by-passes the chaotic problem of human perception and interpretation. The last perspective sees Truth as Existence; Truth as a Way of Living or a Way of Being.

Correctly Conceiving Truth

Ultimately the question of truth is answered in alignment.
But what is being aligned? . . . Here are three possibilities:

1.   The accurate alignment of "Mind" with "Reality."
        This quest for truth strives to conceptually capture Reality with one's mind.

Truth is attained in the overlap between Mind and Reality; therefore, truth is assumed to exist in an abstract realm of correctly conceived Ideas. However to examine the adequacy of those ideas, one inevitably must articulate ideas with words, which lead us to a 2nd Possibility:

2.   The accurate alignment of "Word" with "Reality."
        This quest for truth strives to accurately capture the world with words.

Truth is known within the overlap between Word and Reality; therefore, this type of Truth is assumed to reside in the abstract realm of symbolic representations. Truth is something that one "tells" and is a property of accurately stated words, correct propositions. The efforts of Science largely revolve around empirically proving such propositions which science calls hypotheses.

But both the alignment of Mind & Reality and the accurate overlap of Word & Reality are inescapably beset with the nagging problem of perception. Happily, this 3rd Possibility entirely bypasses that problem:

3.   The sufficient alignment of one's Whole Way of Being — Ideas, Intents, Words,
        & Deeds — with the Way of Truth.

Here the alignment is not accurate, but sufficient — with Grace making up the difference. This means that human beings can express individual personality and unique creativity at the level of doings and details, and still achieve perfect harmony at the level of Mind, Motive and Emotion — with His Help. Truth is manifest in our way of being with other beings and other things (loving animals and loving the earth is included). Truth is something that one Lives with all Heart, Might, Mind, Strength, and Soul.

When approached correctly, the highest Truth, Divine Truth, bypasses the inherent problems of perception and interpretation. This means, instead of trying to accurately conceive reality (an impossible goal), the highest aim is for humans to live in harmony within reality. Further, each person knows when alignment has occurred, because the Spirit of God both guides The Way and confirms "The Way of Truth" to one's heart. The Peace that flows freely, signifies harmony. Another description for this highest kind of "alignment" is faithful obedience with a perfect heart. (Changing Your Stripes, The Manual, page 8-7)

The Way of Truth is simply understood:

       The disciples came unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, . . . Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. (Matthew 18: 1-5)

Attaining Perfect Alignment with the Way of Truth cannot happen by applying techniques taught by a myriad of mortal salvation-salesmen — to include those preaching Pantheism and the Law of Attraction, where an impersonal Universe grants wishes like a magic genie.

Nor can Perfect Harmony be realized through flawed paradigms based in evolution and atheism — to include the Medical Model of Mental Illness, a.k.a. "It's-Not-Your-Fault Psychology." Fatally flawed from its foundations, this pervasive paradigm deceptively deprives people of an central element to attaining Harmony with Truth, which is:

Wholly accepting Response-Ability for every
word, deed, motive, and emotion
that comes out you!

Owning Response-Ability is a vital principle of the Way of Truth, and increasing in Christlike Character. God created us to be Accountable!

* * * * * * *

"The Greatest Prize
for Life's labors isn't
in material possessions
or impressive accomplishments,
but in the progress of personal character.
You labor for your own becoming, this is your richest reward.
Who You Become is your greatest possession,
make it your Masterpiece!"
(Changing Your Stripes, The Manual, page 3-78).

The book, "Changing Your Stripes" presents principles:
for getting out of the ditch in which you've been dumped (the difficulties of which you are a victim),
and for escaping the ditch in which you've jumped (the difficulties for which you volunteer).

"Mastering a challenging situation
is ultimately a matter of
mastering yourself!"
- Matt Moody 

"Changing Your Stripes," teaches you the principles that lead to lasting change,
making you a new kind of creature capable of communicating
with calm, even as storms of contention swirl.

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Changing Your Stripes is a
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Changing Your Stripes

aSocial Psychologist & Personal Advisor