What is Truth?

What is the common consensus in our society today? It's all about me. It's all about me. It's what I want to do, where I want to go, how I want to live, how I want to be pleased. We are preached happiness day in and day out. The goal of life is to be happy, prosperous, popular. If only I had a good job, THEN I'd be happy. If only I had more money, more things, THEN I'd be happy. Now if I could only marry that person, I would be happy for the rest of my life. I'm willing to do anything to make me happy, cause that's what life's all about, right? Is there any higher goal than happiness? Often times we manipulate our minds in order to create a sort of "happiness" in our lives. We often subject ourselves to repulsive and ignorant acts in order to gain recognition or attention from individuals, thus feeding our egos and making us "happy." Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Aren't those the three goals of our country? Wherein do those three values lie? Happy, free lives is what we all want as Americans, right? We demand life, we demand our liberty, and of course, we demand and have to gain happiness.

But where does true happiness stem from? Is it according to each others own opinion? Is one person's happiness different from anothers? Is not happiness the state of being fully and completely content and partaking in utter and pure joy? Then what is joy, but the things which make us happy. What then makes us happy? Again, is it according to each others preferences or needs or wants or desires or tastes? What can be the measure of happiness...and not any happiness, but true happiness? If there is indeed, a true happiness, then how can there be more manifestations of happiness in different people according to different circumstances? Does each person contain a part of the true happiness within their own particular opinion or preference of happiness? Leading thus, that drawing from all persons own particular interpretation of happiness, true happiness can be formed and configured? But how can this truly be true happiness when thousands of varying ideas and opinions are being gathered together to "form" true happiness? No, this cannot be, for true happiness must be a definite. It cannot stem from thousands and thousands of different interpretations and opinions. Truth is not a variable. In everything there is a truth, yet not always does that truth reveal itself, sometimes it might over time, and other times not at all. Certain truths will forever remain hidden and obscure. But knowing this, we cannot falter in the struggle for ascertaining the truth, notwithstanding which sphere of inquiry we may devote ourselves to.

Therefore, continuing our search for true happiness, it has been decided that there must, indeed be a true happiness. However, it is first vitally important to define exactly what form of happiness we are seeking to understand and grasp. Being happy, in the sense of enjoying or taking part of an enjoyable activity, does not belong under the category of true happiness... but rather under the vain pleasures of daily activities... such as kissing a child goodnight, eating icrecream with a group of friends, watching and laughing over a TV show, or smiling and laughing at a family reunion. These simple "pleasures" of daily life must be eliminated from consideration as being the root of true happiness. Rather true happiness must be far more deeper, penatrating, and must become thee utter quintessence of a persons soul.

There is often a void in one's soul until he can find this happiness. If happiness must become the quintessence of a persons' soul, then a person cannot truly live or enjoy life until his very being is fulfilled by that which contains the essence of their being. How can one live or function as a being when a part of that being is not fulfilled or satisfyed. Therefore, that true state of happiness, when it arrives, completes the person, not in body, but in spirit -- in it's soul. That happiness must sweep upon that person with such overwhelming relief and subtle peace that the pleasures of the previous state of their being are to be considered trifle and pointless compared to their newfound state of utter and total happiness. They will revile and despise the prior satisfactions which they employed to feed their endless starvation for happiness.

But what is this happiness?! Is it in power? So often the lust of power have enticed many to pursue it's many risks and satisfactions. But alas, as the fates of Napoleon and of Ancient Rome and more recently of Hitler have shown and proven, happiness cannot be ascertained through the hoarding of power. Perhaps happiness lies in wealth? Could it be that when a man has accumulated billions and billions of dollars in wealth, and has built extravagant palaces and created every imaginable luxury for himself to enjoy. But alas, even in wealth, there is a void which remains unfilled. As many a wealthy man in the past shall testify, that one never stops in the attainment of wealth. Always there must be more, there is never true satisfaction. There must be more, there must be something better. No, no, true happiness cannot lie in wealth, nor in the luxuries which wealth can afford.

Could not true happiness be grasped when we grasp the source of truth? Could not truth be the source of happiness? Is true happiness the knowledge of the ultimate TRUTH? Is there an ultimate truth. Take a moment and look around you. Right now you are witnessing the evidence of an ultimate truth. Everything must stem from something. A table comes from the fiber of wood in a tree, a tree grows from a seed which is either planted or is sown through natural methods. That seed comes from a tree which went through the same process as all other trees have gone through since the beginning of time. But then when was there the "first" tree. Was there a first, or many firsts? Look at the intricate details of a tree and the processes which enable it to grow, through photosynthesis and many other biological processes; one tree, through this process, creates acorns, another apples, still another blossoms and certain colors of leaves. In everything there are so many awesome and elaborate details which work themselves out to form the particular characteristics of the day-to-day items and substances which we observe and interact with, and are ourselves! Indeed, these apparant truths must have stemmed from a source, a true source... THEE source, TRUTH. This Truth, from which all things stem from and are due from, must be the source of happiness.

...to be continued.