Truth has no agenda!

Truth gives perspective and provides purpose. It has no agenda on its own. It is what it is. Different perspectives can make us see different things looking at the same object or situation. True. But all the qualities of the object or situation remain the same regardless of perspective or who is looking.

In the end it seems it doesn't matter that much – seeking the truth that is. So many people are ready to fight to death for, what is in all honesty, pure trivia. Like the true way of putting your paste onto toothbrush (it’s by squeezing the bottom part, of course ;-).

But I would side with those that say that unexamined life is not worth living. And truth, as much as achievable to us as extremely subjective entities, is in my opinion in center of such examination. Thus, correcting once stance when you find additional perspectives, additional facts on what is, such correction of views that brings us closer to truth, it teaches us, nurtures and grows us as human beings. It is foundation for taking responsibilities. It shows us previous mistakes and way to correct them if possible. It closes the gap with people who already had those perspectives by making us understand them better. Honey replaces bile. And verbal communication as off as it can get, gets better. And even small changes in humility, understanding, saying sorry and loving more by way of better understanding goes really long way.

So, even truth by itself has no agenda, it helps us that our agenda of seeking truth and growing trough that journey is met. Many times we are not up to the task. Yet, if we try long and hard enough, it is close, in our grasp.

So let us try our best grasping it.

l2i

Choices – How much we can really choose?

There is positive thinking movement paradigm: ‘You always have a choice’. It sounds about right on first listening. But I do believe there are layers there to be explored.

Take a look at crisis 2008 autumn till today. Jobs are downsized in companies. New openings are scarce. Finding a job became true art. And it used to be just a skill. How many choices about finding job we really do have? Plenty, I would say. But most of them will increase chances of success only slightly or not at all in current situation.

E.g. you send much more applications. Let’s say 100x than before the crisis. Physically, you are on the upper limit; you simply have no time to send more job applications than that. And at the same time companies in general receive 10x to 10.000 times more applications because army of unemployed has significantly grown. So, that kind of annuls your effort. Or even worse: most of the people out of the job are also sending 100x more applications. So, despite your effort, you end up in much lesser chance of nailing that job than before the crisis.

Did you have choices? Of course you did. You had plenty of them, actually. But sometimes number of choices hardly plays any role at all in your chance of success. Sometimes odds are so bad that even if you use all the good choices available, you end up much worse compared to better times (times with better external factors you cannot change).

And yet, there is army of positive thinkers that are ready to say: JUST DO ALL YOU CAN DO AND IT WILL BRING YOU SUCCESS. Now, in core of positive thinking movement there are some rather good principles, worth living. Don’t get me wrong. But there is number of followers of followers of followers of positive thinking willing to say: ‘YOU ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE, AND EXERCISING YOUR CHOICES IN RIGHT WAY GUARANTEES YOU SUCCESS!’

I think majority of positive thinking authors are realist enough that they know nothing guarantees you anything. But distorted view of followers of followers of followers is really of the target. Yes, obviously you always have a choice. And yes, by exercising good choices you increase your chance of success. But nothing, nothing among imperfect man can guarantee you success.

So, in summary: you can choose your actions which (if good) will bring you closer to desired result. But you cannot choose, and I repeat this: You cannot choose end results!

l2i