The progression of truth
Truth starts out as desire. A desire to know or understand. The desire to understand is part of the human soul. It is the thing that separates us from the rest of the animal world; this crazy craving to know why.
Now, back in the old days, there was a guy named Pythagorus. He tried to figure out the truth of the universe using math. He was a pretty smart guy, but he, like a lot of Greek philosophers, thought that the physical world was an illusion and there was something deeper and more meaningful beyond the physical. He used math to figure out geometry and made a huge contribution to the progress of science and engineering. But he was a little bit wacko, too. He said that some geometric shape was the key to understanding everything and he didn’t need physical evidence to back up his claims. Time has proven him incorrect.
He had a disciple who was more famous than him and he has had a profound impact on western civilization. His name was Plato. His contribution to the western world has been the idea that the physical world is a shadow of a greater hidden reality, again without the need for physical evidence. Plato was a smart guy and he figured that reason was all he needed, just like Pythagorus, but time has proven him incorrect as well.
The problem is that Paul the apostle was a Hebrew who was conversant and knowledgeable about Greek philosophy. So Christianity has this idea that the physical world is not important, that it is corrupt (that idea comes from the Stoics), that truth does not need evidence. These ideas aren’t from Jesus, they are from Paul and the Greek philosophers. A philosopher named Philo was probably the most influential on the early church. He was again, a Greek philosopher who thought like Plato and Pythagorus before him.
Later, guys like Copernicus and Galileo started questioning the philosophies of the church and presenting solid scientific evidence that the church was wrong. They had evidence. The world wasn’t flat. The sun did not revolve around the earth. It’s funny to think today that those were big controversies back then. But they were as big a controversy as evolution and intelligent design are today. Evidence over time has proven Copernicus and Galileo correct.
The problem when talking about life, the universe and everything, is that understanding has come before the evidence to back it up. Without evidence people did their best to fill in the gaps in knowledge. I was born, raised and baptized in the Church of Christ. I have had a number of spiritual experiences in my life. I know the love of God. That is without question. Since I have experienced this first hand, I have an understanding of God on a primal level. The problem is that without evidence this understanding is not knowledge. It is like knowing the answer without knowing the question. Paul said, “But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
The way truth is supposed to work is that we question, we gather evidence, we analyze and then we understand. If our understanding of God is correct, then it will stand up to any evidence. Evidence does not deny truth. Evidence either confirms truth or it disproves it. If what we believe is eternal and immutable, science will confirm it. To deny plain physical evidence is to deny truth. If plain physical evidence denies your understanding, your understanding is incorrect. Just as incorrect as the flat-earthers of Copernicus’ day.
We need to understand that Paul and the other writers of the Bible were looking through a glass darkly. That they couldn’t see everything clearly. That they made the best assumptions about the universe and God given the evidence that was available to them. Most Christians think that the coming of the perfect is when we get to Heaven and God explains everything to us. I think that the perfect is the coming of science and the gathering of more evidence so that we can know God even as we are known.
If we deny truth in its most fundamental form, then truth has no part in us. We cannot deny physical evidence and remain in Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, the life.” If we deny truth in any form, even scientific, we deny Christ. There is no alternate reality, this life is not a shadow of something greater, Plato was wrong. This is it. Truth must be built upon a firm foundation of physical evidence or it is like a house built upon the sand.
Read MoreSecond pillar of wisdom
The first pillar of wisdom came from Buddhism, the principle of non-attachment. The second pillar of my philosophy comes from Daoism, the principle of Wu Wei. Wu Wei means simply “without force”. The desire for things, the need for certainty, that is the primary motivation for evil. The primary method of obtaining those things is force. So the first step is to relinquish the attachment, the desire for an object. The second is to relinquish the method for obtaining that object.
The use of force is the essence of everything humanity considers evil. Rape is evil, it is forcing another person to have sex against their will. Theft is evil, it is forcing someone to give against their will. Murder is evil, it is forcing another person to die against their will. Do you see? The common element to all these evil things is the use of force. Daoism does allow the use of force for self-defense, but only as a last resort.
Force has several ways of being used. It can be manipulative, rather than brute. To lie or twist the facts is a manipulative method of force. It can be intimidation. It can be through the use of excessive laws and regulations. One of the sayings of Daoism is that “A land of many laws is a land of many criminals”. Forcing people to do the right thing is just as evil as any other use of force.
By totally rejecting the use of force we negate the possibility of evil.
Think about the evil in the world today. Terrorists using suicide bombers to try and force political and religious realignment. Think of our reaction, sending troops over there to force democracy upon them. Both sides fully committed to forcing the other side to do the right thing. The main cause of evil is the over concern with the righteousness of others. This is a trap we can avoid.
Now, I can’t stop people from using force. That’s a trap, too. All I can do is control myself. To commit myself not to use force. To live my life without forcing others to do anything.
So how to live this principle on a daily basis? The opposite of force is grace. I make a commitment to live a life of grace. It can be when I ride my motorcycle. I ride smooth and graceful. In photography, I don’t force my vision, I react to what is there. In dealing with other people I let them go first, to choose first. I make a commitment to speak the truth and not manipulate others. To be, as the Bible says, full of grace and truth.
Read MoreEvery artist needs a philosophy
When I was a kid everyone used to tell me what a great artist I was. I was very good at drawing and copying what I saw. My eye hand coordination was excellent. I worked at 6 Flags amusement park doing portraits and caricatures during the summer. I was pretty good. But I wasn’t really an artist.
Art is about the expression of truth as the artist sees it. When I was a kid I didn’t understand much of anything, I had a good childhood and I just went along with the flow. I had no great truth that I had discovered about myself that needed expressing.
Truth leads to understanding and understanding leads to the ability to live in harmony. That’s my point of view anyway. So I have set out to understand three truths. One, understanding the truth of nature. Two, understanding the truth of my fellow man. Three, understanding the truth of myself.
With the desire for these truths firmly entrenched as a part of me I can now follow my feelings about what I see to guide the camera. What I see is filtered through my emotions. I need both a philosophy to filter that emotion and the technical skill with the camera to capture it.
If you want your art to have more meaning, you need to have a deeper and more meaningful philosophy. Technical skills alone will not create great art. Your philosophy needs to be something that is unique to you for you to have a unique creative eye.
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