Alright viewers, before I get to the… meat… of this little
schpeel, there’s something you’re gonna need to know about me: I. am. a.
complete. and utter. helpless. lover of knowledge—aka: NERD. And I’m not
talking your typical thick-framed-glasses-wearing-zelda-loving-star-wars-quoting
(actually cool) kind of nerd. I mean your traditional
obsessed-with-science-and-english (actually cool in some other type of social hierarchy
that is not America) type of nerd.
Welcome to my blog.
Today the schpeel is Absolute Truth. How do we get it? What
the heck is it? And can it co-exist with other, contrary truths that are also
absolute? (that question itself blows
my mind).
And I would LOVE to answer all of these questions, but truth
of the matter is: I don’t have a clue.
This blog isn’t some type of soapbox or truth-proclaiming
pulpit. It’s basically just me jotting down the weird thoughts that tend to
consume my mind on that walk to campus, or that run I should’ve gone for this
morning.
I would also love to know what you think about these thinks
that I think, so don’t be afraid to comment and let us know your side of the
story. Really though, don’t be shy; the very fact that you exist validates you
beyond your wildest dreams.
So let’s get to it: Absolute Truth
Today in my Physical Science 100 class, we talked about some
crazy stuff that thoroughly blew my mind: TIME AND SPACE ARE NOT ABSOLUTE
TRUTHS. I had heard about this before (if this is ringing a bell, it’s probably
because you’ve seen that surprisingly well-made Physics video in your 10th
grade science class about Einstein’s Theory of Relativity—and yes I do believe
the lady that played Einstein’s wife was the same actor that played Moaning Myrtle
in the Harry Potter series) but I was still just as blown away by it the second
time around.
Don’t worry, I won’t get into the gory details of
simultaneity, motion symmetry, time dilation, and length contraction (even
though they’re freaking AWESOME and if you’re as nerdy as me you’ll totally pay
attention next time in Physics and be all blown away and excited and stuff) I’m just gonna show how
what I learned in science class helped change the way I think about—and it’s
totally fine if you find this a tad bit creepy—you.
Basically, what I learned today in science class was this: things
change depending on the point of view (*duh* you’re probably thinking). And
yeah, I’ve realized this before too, but today it hit me a little harder,
enough to get me to apply it to other things.
I realized that these things really do change. They don’t
just seem like they change; they really
do, actually and physically change. Aka: multiple realities.
Now what things am I talking about? I can’t only be talking about nerdy stuff like
time and space. I’m talking about people. I’m talking about situations,
beliefs, cultures, habits, and perspectives. I’m talking about the fact that we
all have a different way of making sense of this world. And that mindset is really the place in
which we live and the thing that defines us, rather than a physical location or any other outside characteristic we have.
Hmm. Now there's a thought to chew on.
But once I realized that, I was again reminded that even my
closest friends, or my next-door neighbors, are most definitely NOT living in
the same world that I am.
Everyone is different. Everyone has different beliefs.
There’s always going to be people who are straight, gay, black, white,
believers, atheists, and allllllll the other overused opposites that we’ve
become familiar with. Like I said, I’m pretty sure there will ALWAYS be these
differences. And I think that’s beautiful.
These differences are just something we need to accept. I
think it’s about time we press our little faces up against those individual
bubbles we live in and take a look at what’s outside—or better yet, pop them.
Science class reminded me that where something is true for
me, it just isn’t for other people.
And where something is true for them, it just isn’t for me. That’s just the way
some things are—not everything—but some.
Why is this important to remember? Because when we disregard
these differences, or try to pretend like they’re not there, it’s almost like
saying we think everyone is just like us—or worse—we wish they were just like
us.
And when we want everyone to be just like us, we are in
danger. Danger of losing our compassion and our empathy, all the way until we
no longer feel the desire to relate, learn, understand, and forgive.
Now that’s what I call detrimental.
We shouldn’t enter any relationship (no matter how brief, no
matter how deep) with any underlying assumptions, no matter how reasonable we
think those assumptions are. We should enter each relationship with love,
acceptance, respect, and this awesomely curious desire to learn about and
become part of someone else’s weird little world.
Moral of the schpeel: Let there be differences! Let there be
love. And accept that there is not just one world and one truth—but 7 billion.
