Albert Einstein once said that "the most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." I don't think a more true expression has ever been said. As a result of academia, with some inherent tendencies of curiosity, I am one who loves to solve mysteries--whether they be one of everyday personal things or the "bigger picture." The fun in the quest of ideas and the ultimate truth, which in some ways is different for everyone, can be the most satisfying thing in the world.
Yet I notice that for most people, and sometimes myself, the ultimate truth becomes more important than the quest itself. This can be a dangerous situation because sometimes the truth is nearly impossible to find or the truth is complex in itself. Because of this, we--understandly as lazy human beings--resort to easy solutions or inaccurate information. For example, when we think about statistics, we are just about assured that it is always accurate, and thus always true. But the reality is more complicated. The accuracy of statistics depend alot on how the studies are carried out to determine those numbers, and then, how those numbers are interpreted. And the interpretation is what gets most of us confused. I can attest to it by a personal story:
On a bus, my friends and I were discussing a study that found most people in America bought cookbooks more than any other kind of books. Number one, I don't know where she got her information from--did it come of a survey of bookstores? Did it come from phonecalls to your average American's home? I don't know. Number two, how can this mere number about cookbooks determine what American's prefer to read or what they actually do read. However, it seemed she was suggesting that most Americans did not prefer to read substantial things, and thus were stupid. Whenever I hear this said about Americans, my defenses naturally rise. I am an American, and I very much love reading, and especially love reading fiction and substantial non-fiction alike. Also, America is a hugely populated country with immense diversity, so to generalize like that is quite absurd. But the main point--to get back to the previous story--is that this statistic does not prove anything---except that cookbooks are a popular purchase. Does this mean that Americans only read cookbooks? Or only like to read cookbooks? NO. And clearly, it does not prove the intelligence of most Americans.
Anyway, that was a long example. What I am trying to demonstrate is that we have facts but we don't necessarily have truth. Two separate concepts. We live in a world of scientific knowledge and inquiry, yet we still do not know everything. AND THAT'S OKAY. I am not saying we should never strive to discover the truth, but that we don't forget to appreciate the journey that we go through--meaning what we have learned in the process. Our need for the solution to problems are so great that we find ourselves inventing or haphazardly labeling truth that is which is not really so.
Harking back to Einstein, he was a man who knew the value of the process. He, himself, was an unsual historical figure. An astro-physicist who was deficient in maths, a man of science who also valued the spiritual, and a seemingly wholesome figure who was actually quite a womanizer. Even though Einstein is known for his concrete, tangible scientific theories, he was also a one who loved the metaphysical aspects: to him science was something in which "The individual feels ... the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves in nature ... and he wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole." Here we have the need of objective fragments of such things as facts with the necessary abstract of the whole or oneness of existence. Clearly, Einstein is my "Truth Quest" Idol.
Yet, the truth or solution itself is never something to belittle. That is not the point of this blogpost. The Truth, what we all need and search for, is important always. But the search for it is just about, if not just as, important. The beauty of the mystery is what keeps us going. If we knew everything, what would be the point of living really? It's as if the quest is almost the purpose. And maybe the truth our reward or our salvation.
Yet I notice that for most people, and sometimes myself, the ultimate truth becomes more important than the quest itself. This can be a dangerous situation because sometimes the truth is nearly impossible to find or the truth is complex in itself. Because of this, we--understandly as lazy human beings--resort to easy solutions or inaccurate information. For example, when we think about statistics, we are just about assured that it is always accurate, and thus always true. But the reality is more complicated. The accuracy of statistics depend alot on how the studies are carried out to determine those numbers, and then, how those numbers are interpreted. And the interpretation is what gets most of us confused. I can attest to it by a personal story:
On a bus, my friends and I were discussing a study that found most people in America bought cookbooks more than any other kind of books. Number one, I don't know where she got her information from--did it come of a survey of bookstores? Did it come from phonecalls to your average American's home? I don't know. Number two, how can this mere number about cookbooks determine what American's prefer to read or what they actually do read. However, it seemed she was suggesting that most Americans did not prefer to read substantial things, and thus were stupid. Whenever I hear this said about Americans, my defenses naturally rise. I am an American, and I very much love reading, and especially love reading fiction and substantial non-fiction alike. Also, America is a hugely populated country with immense diversity, so to generalize like that is quite absurd. But the main point--to get back to the previous story--is that this statistic does not prove anything---except that cookbooks are a popular purchase. Does this mean that Americans only read cookbooks? Or only like to read cookbooks? NO. And clearly, it does not prove the intelligence of most Americans.
Anyway, that was a long example. What I am trying to demonstrate is that we have facts but we don't necessarily have truth. Two separate concepts. We live in a world of scientific knowledge and inquiry, yet we still do not know everything. AND THAT'S OKAY. I am not saying we should never strive to discover the truth, but that we don't forget to appreciate the journey that we go through--meaning what we have learned in the process. Our need for the solution to problems are so great that we find ourselves inventing or haphazardly labeling truth that is which is not really so.
Harking back to Einstein, he was a man who knew the value of the process. He, himself, was an unsual historical figure. An astro-physicist who was deficient in maths, a man of science who also valued the spiritual, and a seemingly wholesome figure who was actually quite a womanizer. Even though Einstein is known for his concrete, tangible scientific theories, he was also a one who loved the metaphysical aspects: to him science was something in which "The individual feels ... the sublimity and marvelous order which reveal themselves in nature ... and he wants to experience the universe as a single significant whole." Here we have the need of objective fragments of such things as facts with the necessary abstract of the whole or oneness of existence. Clearly, Einstein is my "Truth Quest" Idol.
Yet, the truth or solution itself is never something to belittle. That is not the point of this blogpost. The Truth, what we all need and search for, is important always. But the search for it is just about, if not just as, important. The beauty of the mystery is what keeps us going. If we knew everything, what would be the point of living really? It's as if the quest is almost the purpose. And maybe the truth our reward or our salvation.
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