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Writer's pictureWilliam Walker

what is the nature of truth in our reality?

Updated: Jan 27, 2022

I do not expect you to obtain and understand the information from my first attempt to explain it, but there will be iterations down the line as I better understand how to communicate the idea.


Western culture has fallen in love with an incomplete perspective


In western culture, we have fallen in love with one version of the truth and we have constructed our culture, sciences, and economic system from this perspective. Our view of the world is fundamentally incomplete and many people can feel it in the air.


If you want to understand what I mean, you should check out this video of a Buddhist scholar and a theoretical physicist where they discuss the nature of reality. In the conversation, you can feel the restrictive thinking of how the theoretical physicists choose to see the world.


The observer plays a role in how we interpret reality


The physicist is hyper fixated on the world that our eyes can see and the world that we can touch, but the Buddhist scholar is inviting the physicists to use that same inquiry to explore the world of "The Observer".


"The Observer" is the awareness that exists that can report on the physical phenomenon. Eastern culture has come to make progress in understanding the relationship between our internal world and our external world in their sciences as well as philosophy.


There are three types of truths


I am going to attempt to illuminate this difference with you and show you how to formulate a holistic view of the world. Keep in mind this is based on my current understanding, so there may be errors in my attempt to articulate it. The core message is there are 3 types of truths, and they all have a role in constructing a narrative.


Individual Truth


The first truth comes from a first-person perspective. This is an "Individual" Truth, this is a truth that has been formulated by your unique experiences and your unique perspective and is heavily associated with the words "I believe".


If you hear someone talk about "Speak Your Truth" this is usually the version they are talking about. If you are the one to hold an individual truth, technically no one can express to you that it is wrong. The study of epistemology deals directly with this realm.


Moral Truth


When two "I believe"s come together they begin to create a "we believe". With the subtle change in pronouns, comes a big change in the form of truth that you create. This common truth held by 2 or more people is referred to as a "Moral Truth".


Similar to Morals, they are often shaped by the public perception about a topic at a specific time. These can be as complicated as religious beliefs, or as simple as allegiances to sports teams. Changes within this realm require a FREE exchange of ideas and the ability to maintain an open mind.


Universal Truth


There are some truths that exist outside of being observed by the "observer", usually referred to as an "it". No matter who is looking at it this is most likely going to be held true.


These I like to refer to as "Universal Truths". A universal truth can be measured or observed (does not need to be through sight). I believe understanding these truths allow for better conversations and argumentation of ideas.


These 3 truths come together to form a complete perspective


If you want to understand the three truths a little more, please watch the quick video below where I walk you through an example below:



To look at things Holistically you need to acknowledge each truth


The magic happens when these 3 truths begin to interact and play with the world and create stories or systems. This area is complex, but as the truths intersect one another they create a quadrant. Within each quadrant exists levels that explain that "Holistically".


A great way to visualize these truths is to utilize a quadrant model


I credit Ken Wilber for doing a lot of work to share his understanding of this topic and has offered the most holistic example of the process that I have found. The diagram below is his illustration of the quadrant in terms of the human body that he has designed.

Using his example, to fully understand the human body, you have to understand how each of the quadrants work individually, but also how they interact with each other.


With what I am currently teaching, I think the only thing you really need to understand is the fact that there are quadrants that exist for every subject/topic you can think of.


The levels that Ken utilized to explain his example are more important if you are looking to learn and understand "Holons" and "Holarchies" which we will cover down the line (however I am not there just yet, but wanted to let you research if you want to learn more).


For now, the important thing to understand is on the X-axis we travel from the internal world on the left, to the external world on the right. On the Y-axis, we travel from the individual on the top to the collective on the bottom.

Each quadrant also has a theme that corresponds to the nature of the truth that exists within that quadrant.


I - Subjective - Thoughts, emotions memories, states of mind (Individual Truths)


IT - Objective - Material Body, Anything you can see or touch (A type of Universal Truths)


We - Intersubjective - Shared values, meanings, language (Moral Truths)


Its - interobjective - systems, networks, technology (Another type of Universal Truths)


conclusion


As you examine fields of study in the Western World, almost all of the information that we have exists in the Objective Quadrant or the Interobjective Quadrant. This little fact skews our understanding of the world and our understanding of ourselves which leads to experiencing a collective illusion.


As I explain subjects I am going to attempt to explain them through each quadrant and express how they are interrelated. If you are following along on the YouTube channel, the first section we are going to attack is Finance.






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