LOGIC HAS LIMITS

I actively participate in the Delphi CrossCurrents forum. Lately I have been tangling with "Joe" who strives to be extremely logical and easily finds faults and weaknesses in many of my ideas. Currently we are dealing with: What is Objective Truth and what is Subjective Truth? This is what I wrote to him this morning:

Dear "Joe,"

There are limits to objective truth. There are mysteries. There are many things we simply don't know and never will know in this life anyway.

So, we all have experiences in life which lead us to our beliefs and values and actions. We are all limited by our families and our cultures. Many never escape at all from some of the negative features of family and culture. Most of us probably escape to some extent. You and I are part of a small group of humanity which is extremely privileged and has the time and energy and ability to explore many options. We learn a lot from others but we must all finally make our own choices in life. The more we are aware of options, the more responsibility we have to choose what is best for ourselves and for others. Humility and discernment and accountability to others are essential.

If we find that we simply can't go along with the beliefs and values and practices of a particular community, then we must search for other communities. We will never find a perfect community. We will never find a perfect leader. We will never find perfect mates and friends and companions. All that we can ever do is strive for the best possible situation.

I'm satisfied with my choices so far. I don't know if they are the best choices possible for me. I am far from perfect. But I have found a lot of love and a lot of accountability in my life.

Logic has limits. It is very useful, indeed necessary, in many situations. I value the people who are good at it because we need those gifts.

Art and music and poetry and storytelling and dance and mythmaking, etc. also are very useful, indeed necessary, in many situations. I value the people who are good at it because we need those gifts.

Nobody can define or fully describe God. We only know that there is a mystery. There are questions we can't answer no matter how much we try using logic or art.

I advocate using every possible method to achieve as much knowledge and wisdom as possible about living and about dying. I accept that there are questions that simply won't get answered in this life.

People who depend too much on the option of logic can easily find fault in any system or model or institution. They are usually right! The problem is that any system or model or institution that can be created will soon develop faults. Therefore, we have to learn to live with lots of imperfections, lots of weaknesses in others and ourselves. That's the way it is.

Thanks for listening.

Namaste.

love, john + www.abundancetrek.com + “In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth.” – Mohandas Gandhi