The Elusive Truth (round 1) By: Da1

Is truth relative... Or are there some concrete facts that don't change? 'What may be true for you, may not be true for me!', is a common mantra heard today. We have so many different religions and so many different faiths within each religion. Don't get me wrong... I'm not against relativism as a concept, and I'm definitely no advocate of forcing morals and beliefs on each other. However I do think that some things are true no matter what we think or believe about them. Establishing a fact as a fact is actually not the problem, but how we interpret the fact is where the differences, disagreements and confusion come in. Yet how do we account for so many variations in our perceptions of the facts? I guess our education, background and experiences play a large role in how we see and accept things. We are either helped or hindered by them (our education, background and/or experiences). Although there is no formula for any amount of each (or the lack thereof), to help figure out what is beneficial for determining truth. Granted more times than not it seems as though more education or experience can help, but I also know of those who get even more lost, discouraged and/or disappointed after receiving more education or experience. Sometimes your background can bias or predispose you negatively to facing the truth or certain facts.

We live in such a polarized society where no one wants to say anyone else is wrong or (on the opposite end of the spectrum), you get those who persecute and/or ostracize anyone who does not agree with their worldview. It would appear that due to this polarization we (as a society) have lost the value of logic, reason, debate and proof. We also seem to have gotten very lazy. Instead of taking the time to push past our comfort zone, we prefer to chuck truth for a lie merely draped in sheep's clothing. Instead of digging for the truth we settle for the comfort that comes in numbers or small (support) groups. Groups... that have been formed due to both sides of any argument not taking the time to seek unbiased perspectives. Those who feel persecuted and oppressed by the other usually rely on emotional support, commonality, empathy and familial-type gatherings to compensate for truth, logic and reason! They want their ears tickled or to receive the missing love in their life. Those who do the persecuting and oppressing rely on the sheer quantity of numbers, hypocrisy (which is a legalistic refusal to admit commonality; elitism), a misunderstanding and abuse of authority, power, influence and the fear of loss (of authority, power and influence) to compensate for truth, logic and reason.

Truth is not naturally within us. It is only obtainable through extrinsic research, a willingness to learn and an openness to admitting wrong. The vulnerability required to discover truth is what is actually elusive. Again, only through research, reason and logic can we even begin on the road to seeing the difference between fiction, fantasy and truth. Why can most major fields of scholarly study define ways to determine legitimacy, but we, as the common masses, merely use our feelings and thoughts. Is there a middle ground or are there only extremes?

Truth is tangible, is it not?

<br /><bgsound src="http://www.audioblogger.com/media/102357/412254.mp3"><br />

How Thin Is The Line? By: Da1

I have heard the saying that, 'there's a thin line between love and hate' almost my whole life. There's a song and a movie that both bear the title. For as long as I can remember, the phrase has never sat well with me. I've always thought that if they are that close together, then I'm not sure if I want any parts of it (either love or hate). What I've experienced is that people actually live like it's true. I mean you can't help but notice the high rate of divorce in our society, or the high number of domestic violence cases, or the large volume of news stories of lovers killing each other (murder-suicide), that you might be lulled into thinking that the saying is true. However I've never been one to just accept the norm simply because it's the norm.

In my challenge against the grain of this world (and its occupants), I feel as though I've truly discovered the truth. Now having made that braggadocio statement, I have to qualify it by admitting my imperfection at being consistent in applying this newfound truth in my own life. Most of what causes this ever-thinning line of separation between two widely renowned opposites is selfishness (which leads to things like jealousy, anger, pride, envy, strife, discord, insecurity, competition and judgmentalism). The manipulation that we impose on one another and disguise as love is boundless.

We try to control every aspect of another humans life all in the name of love and then wonder why we have so many arguments, problems and issues. Instead of valuing and appreciating each other for the individuals that we were when we met (and were attracted too, I might add) we try to shape and mold each other into something that pleases us instead of our 'loved' (more liked coveted) ones! I know some might say that women are more guilty of this than men, but I differ only in that men and women have different instances of it. Attacking and attempting to eradicate jealousy from our lives can give each of us a good place to start in the reversal of the problem of selfishness. Having a selfless attitude is the goal, but first you have to embrace and admit your selfishness is the first step (sorry for the '12 Step' phraseology, but it could not be helped; there's no connection).

What's your opinion or belief... Is there a thin line between love and hate? Or is there an infinite gulf fixed between the two?