Seek knowledge and understanding in all things. Question life; ask'why?' Why are things as they are, why do we act as we do, why are we here, why, why, why? Though answers are seldom forthcoming, the inquiry itself becomes a journey that provides its own truths, the foremost of which is that the ideal truth may not exist, or more importantly, that if it does exist it is made largely irrelevant by the fact that it is most probably impossible to find.
Our understanding is limited by our perception, which varies both from moment to moment, and from person to person. Because of such inconsistency, and the failure of absolutes to adequately explain or fully describe the astonishingly complex universe, both internal and external, in which we live, few if any permanent or unchanging truths can be discerned. This does not mean that truth-seeking is without value however; those successful in their quest for understanding will come to realize that there are a multitude of truths, and that by viewing the world through the lens of these different paradigms, one can both understand oneself and the world more fully and one can see a richness and beauty far beyond that provided by simplex, absolutist world-views.
I give these ideas as a gift to those of you that happen by this page, for they are especially relevant here. Though the opportunities for communication and understanding provided by places such as this are great, they come with great risks as well. It is not the risk of victimization or corruption, a fear often spread by the media and those afraid of having their own ideologies challenged. No, such things are simply the burden of a free society. It is something much worse against which I warn you, the temptation of the unquestioned life.
Places such as this let us create a world of our own choosing, where we can live in a fantasy, a reflection of truth, but not truth itself. Further, the lists and catchphrases shown by participants often cease to be a means of finding those possessed of common interests, and simply become a way of categorizing others, and more dangerously, oneself. We are not the movies we watch, nor are we the books we read. We are not even our thoughts or our actions. We are all of these and so very much more. To grow, to change, we must be willing to face the unknowns, resist the safety of the walls we build for ourselves and those around us, and risk finding the real truths, the truths that change even as we reach for them.
--William Cheyne James
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