What is Truth

Earlier this summer, I tried unsuccessfully to explain Unitarian Universalism to a coworker - the result was my post The Seinfeld Religion. Yesterday he and I had another theological conversation, and after this one I think his understanding of UU was greater. At any rate, I spent a lot of time telling him about MY vision of UU and talking about the principles and sources. In the process, he challenged me by asking "what truth are you searching for?" After much discussion, for me the question became "what is Absolute Truth?" I didn't have an answer. I still don't have an answer. I may never have an answer. It's a big question.

I've only been thinking about this for about 24 hours, but so far what I've discerned is 1) I don't believe there is Absolute Truth that universally applies to everything in all circumstances, and 2) this is really not a question that matters a lot to me right now anyway.

Briefly, Truth - or God, for that matter - is not a dualistic yes/no, true/false, black/white subject. There are infinite shades of gray, because my perspectives and beliefs depend upon my frame of reference and worldview. I can't dictate what is true for another person (although we might be able to agree on "truth" within a shared frame of reference). In fact, I can't even claim to be an "objective observer" of Truth, because the subject-object dichotomy that undergirds much of traditional Western thinking is a false one.

One premise of process thinking (and quantum physics) is that interactions between "agents" produce emergent properties that are new, different, and entirely unpredictable. This means that my interaction with or observation of something inevitably affects the outcome. The experimenter becomes part of the experiment; the observer becomes the observed. How then, can there be Universal, Absolute Truth? My observation of, or claim to, this Truth is an interaction - MY Absolute Truth emerges, which is not universal.

This has been an interesting intellectual exercise, but honestly the questions of Absolute Truth are not that compelling to me right now. My focus on mindfulness and the present moment is better expressed in a question such as "how can I live my life filled with meaning and worth?" That is an answer worth searching for - truth for me. I care more about walking the path with eyes and heart wide open than knowing what's at the center of the labyrinth.