Monday, August 26, 2013

Feeling positive - 2

I think some people generally think 'truth' and 'comfort' are mutually exclusive. You cannot live in comfort if you want to live by truth, and you must not be living by truth if you find some comfort in it. The people on the other end of the spectrum seems to think that truth is variable, what you believe to be true is the truth and so there can be multiple truths. The problem with this latter line of thinking is that it caters for conflicting ideas to co-exist, which doesn't really make sense. Some things are just hard and fast facts and whether one person believes them or not, they are true - e.g.: no matter how much one may want to deny death, they will experience it. Death for all living beings is an universal truth.

Although, that latter line of thinking does have an element of truth (:P) in it. We consider what we perceive to be true as well, although, our perception might be different to someone else's. For example, That cup of coffee I had this morning tasted divine to me, but I'm pretty sure my mum wouldn't share the same feelings towards it. Even though we are both experiencing the same physical thing, we interpret it differently, and that doesn't mean that one of us is wrong. But I suppose this wouldn't come under 'universal truths'.

However, some people tend to think that universal truths are never comfortable. Which is the source of the thought that religion was invented for comfort, I suppose. Although, I think that has an element of truth in it, its not entirely right. We need comfort to survive. If there is a guideline to live, it must provide some sort of comfort right? Otherwise, how is it a 'guideline' for living if we can't sustain it?

But the problem occurs when this idea of comfort is taken too far. When the original guideline has bits and pieces cut out from it because certain human beings and certain times perceive it to be unsustainable. This is problematic because this goes against the whole purpose of a religion - that there is a Higher Power which knows what is best for His creations.

So, before a person has complete faith in a system, they must logically 'believe' in it. If it doesn't logically make sense, there is no point in blindly following. But, if it logically makes sense, then its not really 'blindly following', its trusting a system that knows better than you. E.g.: When people 'trust' science, this is what they're doing. When you 'trust' Allah, this is what you're doing too.

Islam says that I need to be aware of the truth, I need to fight for justice, I need to struggle to implement the right things in my life. But Islam also says that Allah is Al-Kareem - the Being that gives even more than I deserve; that He is Al-Wadood - the Being that loves me the most; that He is Ar-Rahman - the Being with mercy that has no limits. Islam says that I need to try my best in this world, yes, but it also says that my reward is some place that will eternally be interesting in the best possible way.

So, because I have based my faith in Allah in logic, that line of thinking is perfectly logical to me. I don't believe that 'truth' and 'comfort' are mutually exclusive.

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