More on Relative Truth

1999-4-5 12:20:00

I'll just make a few more comments on relative truth to clarify somewhat.

There are some true teachers who have talked about truth as if it were relative and other inspired works, such as A Course in Miracles, speak as if truth were absolute. The truth is, truth seems relative, but in its essence is absolute.

Let us go back to the great mural we mentioned earlier. This great picture of pictures is composed of an infinite number of absolute truth pixels. What happens is that as we put the pixels together we see a larger picture of truth that was not apparent before. Seeing this larger picture is relative to putting the smaller pieces together. Then later, we find this larger picture is just another piece to a larger picture, and this larger picture can only be seen when the smaller pieces are put together.

It is a little like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece is distinct in color and shape and does not change or shift around. Each piece has only one location in the puzzle that fits. If you shift around the pieces and try to force them to fit with your preconceived notions then you will distort the bigger picture.

The shape, color and truth about the pieces are not relative to any other piece. Each piece is what it is, whether it is seen in the picture as a whole or by itself. Each piece is absolute unchangeable truth.

The only relativity involved is that the perception of the whole picture is relative to the accuracy of putting together the individual pieces precisely in the right order. When true teachers have spoken of relativity in relation to truth, this is what they were referring to.

This is a lot different than the teaching of many new age gurus about relative truth. Some of these people seem to think that the pieces shift in color, position and shape and that the shape of one piece changes the surrounding pieces. They also believe that it does not matter where you put the pieces, that the end picture will be the same for everyone.

The truth is more like this: No two people will follow the exact same pattern in putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Very few will even start with the same set of pieces. BUT if any intelligent determined person continues in the quest, he will eventually learn which pieces go where and the big picture will finally become clear. If twelve different people do the puzzle they will all differ in time and method, but in the end all the pieces will be put together in the same way.

In the end it will not by your truth and my truth, or your version of the picture and my version, but it will be one picture seen through the same eyes of the soul, one truth absolutely true and unchangeable.

Now others have mentioned different kinds of truth or truth with a small t and capital T. In reality there is but one truth. Truth is simply whatever is true or whatever is.

I did mention that facts and principles were two different kinds of truth, but this wording is not an exact representation. I had the flu when I wrote this, and it was the best wording I could think of at the time. It would be more correct to say there are two methods of finding the truth. These two methods are through the understanding of facts and the understanding of principles.

The understanding of a principle accelerates the discovery of truth a hundred times or more.

When the truth of a thing is discovered, whether it be of an atom or the ultimate God, then it is just true and will stand eternally by itself in time and space.

Time and space itself are two great entities with a consciousness and life of their own, and they have a beginning and end. Time and space will eventually die and be reborn. Truth itself lives in time and space and fades out of existence and then is reborn with these great entities, but is never destroyed.

Beyond time and space, truth, as we know it, does not even exist, but to even consider what this may be like is like a slug trying to solve the theory of relativity. We are much better off to concentrate on the discovery of truth as we understand it and as we can understand it.