Throughout all of history man has searched for truth. In the Internet and iPhone society of today, truth is under constant challenge. What is false is made true and what is true is made false. The struggle for truth is clearly seen in the media, political, societal and educational systems.
A crisis of credibility is currently destroying the foundation of all levels of government and society. Institutions that have historically been the bulwarks of integrity and reliability are under political and media attack. It is difficult to discern what is truth from what is falsehood.
Falsehood is nothing new, it is just that we are now bombarded with it on a daily basis. It has a long history as the following story demonstrates. At the battle of Waterloo, Napoleon was defeated by the English general, Wellington. In the early 1800s, news did not travel fast like it does today.
There was an English financier and banker named Nathan Rothschild. He was well-connected and developed an elaborate spying network which received early word that Wellington had won at Waterloo. With inside information he went to the London Stock Exchange and manipulated the market to his advantage. Through tactical trading maneuvers he influenced the market that Napoleon was victorious at Waterloo. He was thus able to corner the English credit market.
As the truth prevailed of Wellington”s victory, Rothschild covered his bond market trades, making a fortune. He was never convicted of any crime, and suffered no consequences for his fraud. So in summary, a well-connected banker controls the news, rigs the markets and suffers no consequences. Does this sound familiar to you?
So the questions become: How can we protect ourselves in today”s society with a 24/7 news cycle? How can we identify the Rothschild”s of the world who are now named Bernie Madoff? How can we free ourselves from being taken advantage of?
The discernment of truth begins with an understanding of its elements and characteristics. If we can understand truth we can use this understanding and couple it with intuition and together be better equipped to identify what is false. Defining characteristics of truth can be examined as I will now outline.
Truth is available and nonexclusive. Truth is open to all humans without cost. There are no secrets, technologies or formulas to be peddled for money. If someone is charging you money for a secret truth, you know you are being taken advantage of.
Truth makes no requirements or demands. It does not need a membership, rules, regulations, oaths or dues. Truth is not controlling. It does not spy into your life. It does not require a dress code, a special diet, or intrusion into your economic or family life. It is free of force or intimidation.
The truth is simple and not complex. The human mind is limited by its desire to make things complicated. The human mind is filled with doubt, which fosters complexity as it tries to make things more complicated than they need to be.
The truth is independent of opinion. It is not subject to the limitations of the human mind such as doubt and complexity. Truth is self-fulfilling. It is already total and complete and has no need to sign up followers or increase memberships. There are no issues or problems to solve. There is no desire to change others or fix the problems of society.
Truth does not need the propagation of effort. Because it is self-fulfilling and independent of opinion, it does not need help. Truth does not need help any more than gravity needs help for an apple to fall off a tree.
If people familiarize themselves with these qualities of truth, they will be able to see through the propagation of falsehood. Taking what is true and making it false has become big business. Don”t be a sucker. Learn these characteristics of truth to discern the wolf in sheep”s clothing.
Matthew McQuaid, DPM is a board-certified foot surgeon practicing in Lakeport. He is interested in mind/body medicine and its impact on healing. He is an author and teacher. For more information call 263-3727 or visit www.drmcquaid.com.
