The Care and Feeding of Truth

Only in being lived by the Tao can you be truly yourself.

- Lao Tzu (Tao Te Ching)

I recently shared a post on the value of uncertainty and that notion is continuing to run in the background of my mind as I come up against questions of what is next for me in this liminal period of life.

Like the tabloid motto, inquiring minds have a desire (and perceived need) to know. Don’t we? From the mortal mind perspective our wellbeing is dependent upon how life goes for us or against us so we are heavily invested in future outcomes that will determine whether we will be ok. This is dualistic ego-based philosophy, and it is what rules most of humanity and the way the world operates. It is the cause of much suffering because it connects our wellbeing to external events and people’s behavior over which we have little or no control.

From the perspective of our spiritual nature, this approach belies the truth which maintains our wellbeing is illimitable, unconditionally established in our Being as expressions of the Infinite Life and Love that is our true essence. Many of us find the juxtaposition of these competing philosophies of life operating as alternating states of angst and peace. We would like to tip the scales toward greater awareness and reliance on the spiritual perspective that engenders peace of mind. So how do we gain the spiritual advantage? The answer is illustrated in the Native American allegory of two wolves:

The grandfather tells his grandson that there is a battle going on inside all of us. It is a battle between two wolves that live inside us.

He says, “My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ that live inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thinks about it for a while and says, “Which wolf wins?”

The grandfather replies, “The one you feed”.

Quite simply, though not easily, we must feed the idea of our essential wholeness and wellbeing as the truth of us and starve the faulty logic that says our wellbeing is conditional and circumstance dependent. It does seem incongruent that we should have to feed something which is already established. While the truth of us is inviolable, consciousness is mutable, and requires a level of care and feeding to hold on to the deeper knowing of Self, until consciousness itself is enlightened.

So, as I ponder the uncertainty of life ahead, and grieve the loss of career, income and physical vitality I must not feed these appearances beyond a season of mourning, and turn my awareness around to embrace the deeper truth of my Being that lies undisturbed within.

Form, no matter how much importance you might ascribe to it is still just form. It’s merely an external accessory to who we are, and not of our essence. It has no life of its own. No meaning. No purpose. No value. A job describes what I do, not what I am. We can forget that and many of us do lose ourselves in our careers. We also lose ourselves in the roles we assume in life, our socioeconomic conditions, how others see us, etc. Soon our entire self-concept is invested in a stock that has no intrinsic value. It's only a matter of time before it comes crashing down. Who we thought we were is laid waste, and eventually laid to rest. It can be the worst and best of times.

To continue the journey home, to deepen understanding of our truest nature we must be willing to abandon form in favor of content. This can be difficult, painful, and counterintuitive, yet the exfoliation of the false self is the only way to uncover our true essence. Jesus understood the process, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12:24)

Once the false form dies, the real work begins, but it is fulfilling work. You're not “workin' for the man” anymore - you're working for the soul. It is the hardest job you'll ever love. The way the world measures you may have less, but the heart overflows. You are simultaneously humbled and exalted, at once motivated and surrendered. It's the paradox that Jesus described. You have lost your life and found new life.

Forms are still interesting and even attractive, but not compelling or defining. The only thing that matters is the feeling that something Great and true and real is coursing through your veins, running your life. You come to agree with the Taoist, Only in being lived by the Tao can you be truly yourself.

Welcome home,

Larry