Here's the crux of the issue: if every person in the world had complete integrity, from the definition I've previously offered, the world would not be a perfect place. At the same time, if everyone in the world was aware of the highest possible values, the world would not be a perfect place, either.
Now I don't believe that perfection is a static 'place' but if we put both of those qualities together, that would be heaven, wouldn't it? If everyone was aware of the highest values they could possibly embody and also lived those values with perfect integrity, what could be better?
Of course, we don't all agree on what the highest values are - or even how to determine what they might be - and we certainly do not all have a clear understanding of the 'value' of living out our highest recognized ideals. On top of all of that, there's a lot of confusion and ambivalence around how much integrity we can possibly express through the choices we make. These are all separate issues - all important - and I don't wish to confuse them.
Where should I begin? Well, perhaps at the beginning. How do we come to determine what values are higher than others? This is such a great question and one that requires a bit of critical thinking and a recognition that how we answer these questions is deeply shaped by the worldview we already have, by the culture we're already in and by the personal experiences we've already experienced. So I'm just expressing how I understand these things from my own perspective, which will continue to be revealed through my writings.
I would first suggest that there's no way to 'step outside' reality and discover an objective basis for values. They're all influenced by our human understanding and subjectivity. Perhaps you're saying to yourself, "so we can't possibly know what's most important or most valuable or most true. Boom. I just 'postmodern roasted' you." There is some truth to this statement but it's only partially true. One rebuttal could be a claim that the highest values come from our Creator, whose image we were created in, and that a particular sacred text contains the answers we seek, an objective standard that outlines what the highest values actually are to live by. But such a claim is not unique to any one particular religious tradition.
What does quickly become apparent is that our values are deeply connected to what we believe to be true. I already made some assumptions you might not agree with so perhaps it would be best to back up and explore the question of truth.
What is truth? Ooh, that's a big question! Let's say truth is found where our understanding reflects reality. What is reality? Just kidding, I'll stop there. Let's just go with that for now and I can come back to it later, if necessary, but I think that's a reasonable base camp to hike from. So how do we determine what is true?
The rabbit hole goes very deep...
This may sound obvious but most of us believe that our beliefs are true. Even the agnostic who says they don't know whether God is real or not still believes in their own belief of unknowing, that it's 'true' that they don't know. Fair enough.
But can we be absolutely sure that any of our thoughts, ideas, feelings, sensations and perceptions reflect reality? Perhaps not. That's a huge area of abstract (and worthwhile) philosophical reasoning but unless we're willing to embrace nihilism or deeply study philosophy, I think most of us will gladly accept that even if it's unreasonable to claim that any of our internal understanding is 100% true, we can still choose to believe certain things that seem more likely to be true than others. What other option do we have? This?
As an aside, the beauty of mystical experience is in coming to discover that when we let go deeply enough of all of our thoughts, ideas, feelings, sensations and perceptions we discover that 'we' are still there, that there is a source of Absolute Truth that exists outside of all our intellectual ponderings. I personally think this is the most stable place to really explore from because it usurps that whole nihilism thing right from the get-go. But it's not essential as a first step in understanding how we come to know truth so I shall leave it alone for now.
Putting aside both mysticism and nihilism, for the moment, and being willing to embrace a perspective that says we can discover some truth about the nature of reality, we can now begin to take some tentative steps forward. I'm excited, aren't you?
Now I don't believe that perfection is a static 'place' but if we put both of those qualities together, that would be heaven, wouldn't it? If everyone was aware of the highest values they could possibly embody and also lived those values with perfect integrity, what could be better?
Of course, we don't all agree on what the highest values are - or even how to determine what they might be - and we certainly do not all have a clear understanding of the 'value' of living out our highest recognized ideals. On top of all of that, there's a lot of confusion and ambivalence around how much integrity we can possibly express through the choices we make. These are all separate issues - all important - and I don't wish to confuse them.
Where should I begin? Well, perhaps at the beginning. How do we come to determine what values are higher than others? This is such a great question and one that requires a bit of critical thinking and a recognition that how we answer these questions is deeply shaped by the worldview we already have, by the culture we're already in and by the personal experiences we've already experienced. So I'm just expressing how I understand these things from my own perspective, which will continue to be revealed through my writings.
I would first suggest that there's no way to 'step outside' reality and discover an objective basis for values. They're all influenced by our human understanding and subjectivity. Perhaps you're saying to yourself, "so we can't possibly know what's most important or most valuable or most true. Boom. I just 'postmodern roasted' you." There is some truth to this statement but it's only partially true. One rebuttal could be a claim that the highest values come from our Creator, whose image we were created in, and that a particular sacred text contains the answers we seek, an objective standard that outlines what the highest values actually are to live by. But such a claim is not unique to any one particular religious tradition.
What does quickly become apparent is that our values are deeply connected to what we believe to be true. I already made some assumptions you might not agree with so perhaps it would be best to back up and explore the question of truth.
What is truth? Ooh, that's a big question! Let's say truth is found where our understanding reflects reality. What is reality? Just kidding, I'll stop there. Let's just go with that for now and I can come back to it later, if necessary, but I think that's a reasonable base camp to hike from. So how do we determine what is true?
The rabbit hole goes very deep...
This may sound obvious but most of us believe that our beliefs are true. Even the agnostic who says they don't know whether God is real or not still believes in their own belief of unknowing, that it's 'true' that they don't know. Fair enough.
But can we be absolutely sure that any of our thoughts, ideas, feelings, sensations and perceptions reflect reality? Perhaps not. That's a huge area of abstract (and worthwhile) philosophical reasoning but unless we're willing to embrace nihilism or deeply study philosophy, I think most of us will gladly accept that even if it's unreasonable to claim that any of our internal understanding is 100% true, we can still choose to believe certain things that seem more likely to be true than others. What other option do we have? This?
As an aside, the beauty of mystical experience is in coming to discover that when we let go deeply enough of all of our thoughts, ideas, feelings, sensations and perceptions we discover that 'we' are still there, that there is a source of Absolute Truth that exists outside of all our intellectual ponderings. I personally think this is the most stable place to really explore from because it usurps that whole nihilism thing right from the get-go. But it's not essential as a first step in understanding how we come to know truth so I shall leave it alone for now.
Putting aside both mysticism and nihilism, for the moment, and being willing to embrace a perspective that says we can discover some truth about the nature of reality, we can now begin to take some tentative steps forward. I'm excited, aren't you?
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