Truth.

Philosophical Skepticism teaches us that we can be sure of nothing.  Not even that.  But my human experience has led me to rest on one surety; Truth.  Behind everything there seems to be a root Truth.  Everything depends on it.  Take any thought experiment, or experiment experiment back far enough and we shall find Truth.  But perhaps it's more like infinity; we can never reach it, but we can get closer.  

The error that so many ex-Christians make, so many militant atheists, is that because it "seems" wrong, or because they don't "like" it, or because "that G-d is an asshole", they simply write it off.  But they forget about Truth.  Regardless of our thoughts on the matter, "the Truth is out there."  We are foolish who do the calculations, and proclaim the sum to be “unreasonable, and therefore false.”  Truth is belligerent.  It does not rely on our belief.  It Is (I Am).  Even if our understanding of it evolves, and will never hit it exactly center, shouldn't we endeavour to run towards it?  To wrestle with it?  To shake our fists at it?

Often times the compulsion for me probably comes from sheer stubbornness.  I am given little proof, or rather, I am aware of little proof, to persist in my belief.  

On my morning walk I was moving through this.  It occurred to me that the desire to doubt fully, to question to a conclusion, seemed to come from "somewhere".  And for this morning, that was the voice of G-d.  Even taunting me "Seek and ye shall find."  I don't depend so much on the promises of finding something anymore.  I breathe only for the seeking.

There is a Truth, and how ever terrifying It may be, I choose to run towards It.  

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.

Good Morning Walky Feet

I walked the ten-mile trip to school today, this time leaving a little bit earlier at 6:00am. Nothing quite as dramatic as an owl bombardment this time...

Walking from dark till dawn is a wonder. Certainly, before the sun his made his move there are birds signaling that the time is at hand, and the closer it gets, a sort of peacfull frantic occurs from the mouths of all these birds. It is as if they were doing their best to entice the sun to awaken this morning, and to a great victory, the sun rose in vibrant color.

The trip home was somewhat disenchanted as I detected the beginnings of blisters on my feet. It was also at this time that I realized the many people I passed on the walkway were there for an intent strictly physical. Their shiny enhancing clothes and shoes were a stark contrast to my clumsily put together disintegrating garments. And all the more joy from it.

The Walking Begins...

Apparently I did not consume a proper ration of coffee this morning at 6:47 to ensure that I be fully alert. Because at approximately 6:49 I was nearly knocked down by an owl. Or rather, it seemed that way to my under-coffeed self.

The sun was yet up, and I was crossing a bridge over the creek by our house on my way to school (by foot) when a large object rushed past me not more than 5 feet away and alighted on a large tree directly to the right of me. After a few fractions of a second of jumbled awareness and limbs, I realized that perched in the tree was a large (1 1/2 feet tall) owl.

This was certainly an fantastic beginning to a quest that I have been long thinking about, and too lazy to endeavor, until this morning. It is a 10 mile round trip walk from our house to Cleveland State Community College where I am currently enrolled. There are more direct routes but I chose one that included a wooded trail following a creek and secluded alleys through the "historic district" of Cleveland.

While I am smarting throughout my body, I am very pleased with the experience. I've often read about(and experienced in short) the richer world of a slow walk, as compared to the speedy blur that is car travel. It is true, not only did I have plenty of time to awaken my mind and body before I plunged into study, but all around were things to been seen, the owl, abundant birds, people yelling at dogs, turtles, &c.

On my way home my mind began to relish its current purity and started considering all of the delightful amendments it aught to make to the pursuit of walking. Such is my foolishness, once I obtain something good, I set right about with disconnected want.

"I should get some nice walking shoes, I should get a good pack that won't rip open and strain my back so, I should get some proper walking pants and bloomers, I should get, buy, need, want, get.

I managed to fend off these thoughts and took joy again in the idea of wearing out my current collection of suitable pants, shoes, pack, in the spirit of Thoreau.

This is all a bit jumbled and I will save some of the other things to talk about for later walks.