Transthought

Faith, Truth and Me

It is always interesting to visit one's doctor. I saw him (in my case, it is a him!) this morning after a three month hiatus. He thinks I am well enough to stay away for another three months. I have been summoned to jury duty in August and I asked him if my condition(s) were of such a nature that I could be excused. He said he would send a note telling what my conditions were and they would decide if they qualified for excuse. I will check the box that says I have a physical condition that will prevent me from serving and then we shall see. It is not that I don't want to serve, it is more than I just don't have the energy to do that. I can teach a class for an hour or two, come home and rest and be ok, but I doubt that I could keep going all day and be alert enough to be of much use to the court.

But then, I don't really want to serve, when I get honest with myself. It is not that I do not wish to perform my civic duty, as they call it, it is rather that I am becoming disillusioned with government in general. And to contribute to what is going on seems to me to become part of the problem. The President today vetoed the legislation Congress passed concerning stem cell research. Congress doesn't have enough votes to override the veto, so it will probably die. Another victory for the Conservatives on their way to taking away the freedoms that have made our country so great. How can anyone be against stem cell research! Why do conservatives not trust science? Evolution, stem cells, even birth control pills, etc. etc. On and on they rail against intellect, wisdom and common sense. They have to establish their own schools so they can teach it their way. This troubles me greatly. Is truth limited to so narrow a view? I think not

I am not a raving liberal. I am quite conservative in many respects. I am not a conservative. I am quite liberal in many respects. I eschew labels that divide us one from the other. I do not see a conflict between science and faith; after all, the scientist must have faith that experimentation will produce results. I have faith when I reach for the light switch, or the ignition on the car, or when I sit in a chair. Faith precedes all actions. I even like Thoreau's observation that "there is no creed so false but faith can make it true." Truth is what we come to believe in the final analysis, not necessarily what we are taught, but what we perceive in the living of our days. We can manufacture truth, and many have, witness the many versions of religion that exist! But truth is not in the creed, only in the experience. So the doctor's description of my conditions is his truth; how the court interprets it is its truth, and what I understand is my truth. Hopefully, they will be one and the same when all is said and done.

Wayne's words for July 19, 2006

posted by Wayne Olson @ 4:17 PM