Faith in Chaos

Do you have a desire within you to pursue answers to questions that are bigger than yourself? When you get a little closer to the truth, do you notice anything happening within you? I believe that most human beings long to know answers to questions that are bigger than themselves, and that no human vessel is equipped to carry all the answers. So, is it an "ignorance is bliss" type of existence? Where we let these questions fall away, because in the end we cannot comprehend it all? I think not.

There is something critically important in the journey for discovering truth, and if you ignore the quest, you miss life. This is true no matter where you are along the path. If you're a child, you ask tons of "silly" questions, seeking to know more about a world of which you know nothing. If you have been pursuing truth all your life and are considered "wise" by many, you seek to understand the subtleties of the truth between the lines. Basically, the one thing you never do is remain idle forever. That is not a journey. That is a make-out spot for lonely old perverts who would rather make love to the knowledge they think they have forever than to step outside of the car and look over the cliff. The implication is that if you are not seeking truth of some sort, you are content with the truth you have and see no reason for more.



In the film "Pi" we see a character (Max) driven to madness and immense physical pain by the truth he was encountering. We understood that his afflictions were not solely brought on by the truth itself, but also by his obsession for it. The underlying assumption is that the closer we get to truth (or reality), the more we are captivated by it and burn to live within it. It changes us. However, if truth leads you to pride, or to forsake the life around you, you have missed something within the truth you have sought. The character Saul (Max's mentor) persists that Max needs to take things in perspective. Max believes that Saul has forsaken the journey of understanding, when in fact Saul is fully engrossed in it. He is understanding the beauty of life through animals (his fish). He is understanding the joy and burden of love and friendship by trying to save his friend (Max) from his own destruction, which he knows is just around the corner. Saul is still interested in larger than life questions, but only within the context of love and humanity. It was the pursuit of knowledge alone, without love, that threatened to un-do both characters. The fact that Max puts a drill to his head to escape reality is not a conclusion that truth must be avoided, but that it must be undertood carefully, and with tons of humility.



Acknowledging that we are limited should be the start of humility, not the end of the journey. Beauty, truth, reality, these things bring fruit, love and life into the world. We need to pursue them. If you notice that you have been stagnant, and that maybe you believe you have "truth" pretty figured out (or that you don't care anymore), I urge you to get out of the car. Stop making out with the kernel of life that you have inside of you, and look over the cliff. The world is out there, and we need you.