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If truth is a contextual action rather than an ideal, how does that change your life?
Before we answer this question we should define a few things so that we are all on the same page with what the question is asking.
Let’s talk about the truth and what it really is. I’ve always been a student of the esoteric and the occult and in the practice of Hermeticism, we understand that truth is only but half-truths. We humans have no way of gleaning the whole truth of anything unless we can fortify those truths with empirical data.
So what is true in reality?
Truth is the state of being true. True is an adjective defined as being in accordance with fact or reality; genuine. Contextual is defined as depending on or relating to the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea.
Action is the process of doing something. An ideal is an adjective meaning satisfying one's conception of what is perfect; most suitable. It can also mean existing only in the imagination; desirable or perfect but not likely to become a reality.
We can now frame the questions another way:
So if genuine fact or reality is related to the circumstances formed from the setting of an event of doing a series of actions as opposed to the truth being the satisfaction of one’s conception of what is perfect how does that change your life?
For me, the overarching change in my life came in the form of releasing my need for religion and holding it as a truth. It created a domino effect on my life and liberated me.
I grew up in a very religious country with a very religious fanatic for a mother. I went to church 3 times a week, I was required to read my bible every day, and have devotional time every evening before I could do anything else after dinner. We had Religious Knowledge as a subject in school, so religion was constantly in my face.
I stopped going to church during and after University because I was simply churched out. Releasing my need for religion was the greatest thing I ever did. It started with me visiting what religious leaders in Christianity deemed to be the living truth; that is, the Bible. In 2012, I decided to do a deep study from Genesis to Revelation. What I found between the pages was a gateway to atheism. Seems weird?
Reading the Bible compounded the doubt I had about the Christian faith. So I did a deep-sea dive into the history behind Christianity and it was the unfucking I needed. I realized that what Biblical scholars had realized, the Bible is not pure fact. Like many other religious texts, it is the musings of men from an era long past.
I’ve written about how I lost my religion and how traumatic it was to realize it wasn’t absolute truth but simply indoctrination of ideas that came millennia before I was even a thought. It was an excruciating growing pain but I am so much better for it.
Realizing that the only truths we have are what can see in our tangible reality and what is backed by science undergirded by empirical data helped me even release my fear of death.
As a Christian, you fear death because you keep hoping that you don’t end up in hell because you failed to follow one arbitrary rule outlined in the Bible. It freed me from thinking I was sexually immoral as opposed to being sexually free. It helped me see the internalized homophobia I had, and becoming an atheist helped me eventually accept my bisexuality. Releasing the synthetic truth of religion freed me to be myself and helped me to finally deal with the hot button issues that were fucking up my shine.
My life has changed irrevocably and I’ve grown in leaps and bounds as a result. I no longer need to lean on the scapegoat of a devil, I take responsibility for my action instead of leaving them at an imaginary cross. I don’t have crutches. Instead, I work on myself to be stronger and better. Beyond being a doctrine, religion is an ideal and as we’ve seen ideals are not truth nor should our truth lean on them.
Here’s a challenge! Hit Reply!
I want to challenge you to answer this question and let’s get a dialogue going. How has this impacted your life? Not religion but our original question:
If truth is a contextual action rather than an ideal, how does that change your life?
I’m curious how truth has impacted your reactions and changed your life for the better.
More on my conversion from Religion:
Healing the Wounds left from Indoctrination
Curated in Self and Spirituality | Published in Candour
Why You Need to Explore Different Spiritual Paths for Meaningful Soul Growth
Curated in Spirituality | Published in Candour
A Lesson in Religious Tolerance
Curated in Spirituality | Published in Candour
Friend Links to Stories I published Recently on Medium
I’ve been pretty busy this month and I’ve written almost every day and published just as much. I broke my record yesterday after having to run errands and today for the first half I was at my therapy session with my psychologist. I figured I’ve earned a break. Since I’ve shared so many stories above, I’ll pick k three of my favorites from last week’s round-up. Remember you can clap up to 50 times for stories on Medium.
How I Use Mindfulness to Counteract Panic Disorder
Even before my diagnosis, I began using mindfulness to keep me from falling off the edge. Curated in Mental Health | Published in Candour
My Mom Asked Why I Was Diagnosed with Depression
Even though she was genuinely concerned her question shows the education gap concerning mental health. Curated in Mental Health | Published in Candour
No One Talks About the Trauma of Precocious Puberty
Growing up I had a toxic outlook on my body and sex as a result of growing up too fast and experiencing sexual trauma.
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