Truth and Reality

TRUTH AND REALITY

- hypothesis of many is that secure knowledge can never be found
- we often pity our ancestors for ignorance-->in the future we will be pitied, we are no better
- always believe we are close to complete knowledge, and have reached the light at end of tunnel, but we are very far away, because always new things come up to defy and question what we already know
- each discovery creates more mystery: the more we know, the less we understand
- knowledge must forever change otherwise it withers- mind and reality are more profound than we normally suppose     
- It lies in human habit to search for the truth, to be able to sure on a certain fact or matter. 

Bertrand Russell once stated that "What men really want is not knowledge but certainty". This can be evaluated in a variety of ways, but the most discernible hypothesis we can extract from this quote, is the concept of man's struggle for certainty and reassurance of their beliefs. We do not strive for the truth per se, yet we strive for certainty what is occurring around us. Especially for this reason, man has a compulsion towards proof. The more one knows, the less one understands is a saying appropriate to describe the circumstance humanity often finds itself in. When more knowledge is gained, confusion and disruption interrupts the order society has built upon. The desire for security clashes with the common belief that knowledge will bring satisfaction, for when deeper analyzed, certainty and knowledge oppose each other greatly. I believe we can never be completely certain of the truth, as we can never be completely certain of anything. Many often rely on their senses of perception, taking in what occurs around them and using it to build a relatively unstable base for so-called knowledge. An absolute and sure clarity in our convictions, is as vital in life, as an open mind and an unpretentious mindset when encountering new information. So called terrorist can be used as an example for a convicted and unchangeable population, for they are ultimately tied to their beliefs and take on the consequence of death to support these. Religion is part of an intensely belief and trust based matter, each religion claiming that the other is wrong. One must provocatively ask, if we truly have the power to deem others beliefs as untrue. Society plays one of the biggest roles in perception of knowledge If many individuals accumulate the same belief on something, usually through the pressure of society, this is a common belief. We usually accept this "knowledge" we are given without further inquiry and this can lead to great fault. How can you be sure what you are being told is true? We learn to accept what we are told and this strengthens as we mature and grow older. Youth tends inquire to a certain extent, wanting explanations to our questions. Yet, we often lose this trait later on in life, for we become so used to accepting and regurgitating what we are told, immediately converting it to so called knowledge, relying greatly on the input of those we call experts. Our experiences of reality vary and we all observe what is around us in a different manner because of various factors, such as emotion, language etc. and this leads to the creation of our own realities around us and our own perception of the world.