One of the more common political/social observations in the past few years is that we are in a “post truth” world now. There are a lot of factors that explain why and how that might be, but from a metaphysical standpoint there is one that stands out to me.
It seems like there used to be a greater set of agreed upon facts. Now, everyone feels entitled to their interpretation.
I think this has to do with the evolution of our consciousness.
More and more people are able to access and explore the difference between “my” truth and “The” truth. It used to be that, for the majority, the tribal level had authority over our perceptions and understanding of almost everything.
We accepted that things were the way we were told they were and it didn’t occur to us to consider whether we might have a different point of view. In fact, we were discouraged from considering other possibilities – it was dangerous to suggest that the Earth revolved around the Sun or that your culture’s God wasn’t necessarily THE God.
Exercising the prerogative to openly question authority on a widespread basis is a relatively new phenomenon. And that’s why it’s causing such chaos.
Just because more people are able to entertain the thought “That isn’t necessarily true” doesn’t mean they can do it skillfully. It is a sophisticated Spiritual skill to feel past the conventional wisdom for a deeper or more personal truth. Most people are still in the early stages of experimenting with the concept.
One of the biggest challenges is that I’m not always going to like my Truth.
It is often inconvenient and unpleasant. It might tell me I have to be compassionate toward someone I want to hate, or take an action that is frightening or whose consequences are unknown. In addition, my Truth won’t always necessarily be rational, and in the wrong hands this will be used to justify an indefensible position.
If my consciousness is still in the formative stages of grappling with the idea (and practice) of multiple layers of truth, then too often I might mistakenly be asserting what I WANT the truth to be. My ego will take advantage of the opportunity to creatively insert its wish list, mistaking a strong desire for the deeply held conviction of my soul.
Connecting to my Truth is an act of discernment. It requires me to hear a higher part of me in the midst of a sea of inner voices with competing agendas. It asks me to surrender my will when I may not agree with or understand what it’s offering. And it means I must accept that your Truth may not agree with mine.
The truth is an awful lot of people are struggling to figure out what their Truth is.
Most of them aren’t able to recognize that they aren’t able to recognize it yet, and they haven’t grasped yet that yours doesn’t have to be wrong for theirs to be right.
Unfortunately this has given permission for too many of us to let go of the truth, of any kind, altogether.
This is the kind of higher perspective that I help Seekers develop. If your Spirit is prompting you to have a conversation like this, I encourage you to get in touch with me.