by Rev. Allan
“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.” I do. How many times, each day, across this great land of ours, is that vow broken?
Do you consider yourself a truthful person? I don’t just mean the good old fashioned, George Washington, “I cannot tell a lie; it was I who chopped down the cherry tree” type truthfulness. I guess I take for granted that you and I, who got out of bed this Sunday morning, and got ourselves here, are interested in truth on a deeper level. Let’s call it Truth, with a capital T.
We should define the word truth if we’re going to use it. From the dictionary–Truth: That which is true (that’s like way useless) or in accordance with fact or reality. (That’s better.) Don Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, arguably the greatest novel of all time, said, “Facts are the enemy of truth.” The dictionary says truth is that which is accordance with fact. Usually, when I find the dictionary and the poet in disagreement, I go with the poet.
Truth is not easy to define, but for our purposes we should be okay with the general sense that we share of the concept of truth.
I think that deep down we each have a pretty good sense of the truth about ourselves.
I’m not at all certain that we always allow ourselves to experience that truth, and I’m certainly not suggesting that we always like what we see in ourselves; just that we know.
There was a man who lived in a small village who was known for his generosity. It was said that no one who came to his door left empty handed. One day a beggar appeared and the kindly man was dismayed because he had absolutely nothing in the house. Then he remembered a watch he had put away in a drawer. He got it and gave it to the beggar. When his wife saw this she yelled at him, “Are you crazy? That watch is worth hundreds. Call that beggar back.” So the man called out, “Hey you, come back here.” The beggar came back and the man said to him, “That watch is worth hundreds. When you sell it, be sure to get a good price.” That man was in touch with the truth of who he was and so, he was at peace.
Your presence today says, “I want to experience a deeper level of inner peace.” Those may not be your exact words, but that’s the essence of it. You made the effort to be here, and there is no question in my mind that those of us who are here, not just physically, but who are present here today, with an open heart and an open mind, will leave here with more than when we arrived: more understanding, more acceptance, and more happiness, because we will move a tiny, yet monumental step, closer to our truth. Neither you, nor I, will ever know lasting inner peace without that truth. While we may not be able to define it easily, we can see that Truth is the vehicle with which we travel back to our true self.
If that seems a bit daunting, have no fear. We live in a society that is committed to diverting us from any aspect of ourselves we don’t like. We have a multi-trillion dollar economy based on selling us anything we want to divert us from the truth. And I acknowledge that some of those products are effective–even if only for a limited time.
Many years ago, when I was single and going through a period of not feeling particularly attractive, I decided to buy a hairpiece. This I did telling myself that it would be good for my singing/acting career. However, I’m sure the truth had a lot more to do with my stagnant career acting out the ways of the birds and the bees. Wouldn’t you know, the hairpiece brought success, and there I was, about to go on a date with a real looker.
Well, there’s something you need to know about hairpieces; they are not attached to the head with thumbtacks. They require some sort of double-sided tape, the stickiness of which, under certain circumstances, can become compromised. Ms. Gorgeous and I had decided that a walk in the park would be a lovely way to get to know each other. It turned out to be a particularly windy day. So at a time when I wanted to be basking in the rewards of my hairy investment, I was instead seriously distracted by the fear of my golden locks being blown askew, or worse, rolling ignominiously like a tumbleweed through the Strawberry Fields. A few days later my furry chapeau found itself being tossed into the incinerator. I was content with the thought that someone might come along who would love me with my clean, uncluttered pate, perhaps because she owned stock in the Simonize company, or perhaps because her father had been bald, and she found that particular attribute irresistible –which is exactly what happened.
Inner peace and knowing our spiritual self doesn’t come from outside ourselves, nor from what we put on our heads. Do you remember these song lyrics: “The words of the prophets were whispered in the sounds of silence.” The truth is whispered in the sounds of silence. We will hear it in a still, small voice if we’re not afraid to listen; if we can release ourselves from our pretensions; if we can allow ourselves to be guided from the unreal to the real.
We need to take quiet time each day–no activity, no TV–just you, alone with yourself, your incredible, beautiful self, allowing the voice of silence to be heard. It can be challenging. The truth is not always what we would like it to be. But when we accept the truth, we can address the changes we want to make so that we become in thought, word, and deed, what we already really are. We live that truth.
That is a spiritual being. That is a being at peace; and on that, you can bet your life.
