Chasing truth...

I've been thinking about truth a lot lately.  After writing my recent post about 9/11 I just keep going back over the events of that day in my head trying to figure out what goes through one's head when he is just about to die.  I want to know.  And, what happened to them the next instant after they died?  I want to know.  Truth is the proverbial carrot we keep trying to reach.  We may get close but we will never know the taste of it. 

So, why this curiosity?  Is it that we as humans are just full enough of ourselves to believe that we could understand, or even fathom, the larger truths of the world?  Probably.  Is it that we feel completely out of control and if only we knew what we were in for we would feel slightly more powerful?  Most likely.  Or is it just the human condition?

I read an interesting passage today in an SAT prep book.  It said that humans are the only animals who laugh and cry.  Why?  Because we are the only ones capable of having expectations and then comparing them to reality.  We laugh when something "ridiculous" happens.  The only reason it is ridiculous is because it is not what we expect.  We cry when something sad or happy happens, because again, we didn't expect it.  Even if it is the death of someone who has been sick for a long time, we never expect to live our lives without that person.  So it seems that we are not so good at recognizing truth.  In fact, we spend most of our time creating falsehoods that parade themselves as the truth.  We convince ourselves that this shouldn't happen, or that that person shouldn't be that way.  But that is not the truth.

Truth has two sides.  One, it's terrifying, because it is only revealed in the moment and we don't trust that we can adapt that quickly.  Two, it's amazing.  Just the fact that it is so elusive makes it mysterious.  And, mystery breeds awe.  This is why I am drawn to death, the depths of the ocean, and the minds of people.  They represent some of the larger unknowns of the world that will always remain in the dark to me.  And, because of that simple fact I am in awe of them.  I hold a certain respect for them, but something about them also brings about in me an appreciation of life.

I will never know some truths.  But the truth is that life would be boring if I knew everything. 

No wonder animals can just sleep all day.  They are relaxed.  They're not constantly stressing themselves out creating false truths that ultimately contradict reality, resulting in the inevitable unhappiness, and then finding someone to blame for it.  Whew.  That's a lot of work we've cut out for ourselves.