Bread and Truth

In light of the great dressing-down I got just this morning (i.e. comments my K.i.S.A. left on my last blog post), I've been wondering about something.

See, I love philosophy. I wish I understood it as well as he does, or at least just a little better. I was going to major in philosophy in college, but ended up majoring in a hard science. And maybe that's where I should stay. Maybe I should avoid the esoteric, the metaphysical, and just stick to what I know. I know cells. I know the laws of nature. I know nutrition. Maybe I should leave the outside-the-box thinking to the liberal arts majors.

The box, after all, is not so bad. It's a nice box, and comfortable. There's plenty in the box to study, and lots that we don't understand.

But here's the thing: the more we study the box, the more we learn about it, the more we realize that everything inside it can be explained only by gazing outside.

I am a star-gazer. I am a dreamer. I love to wonder about things. And it frightens me to think that everything might have a rational explanation. I want some things to be inexplicable. It helps me maintain my sense of wonder. When this world becomes a series of equations and logical streams, it loses some of its luster for me.

Over the millenia, philosophers have been opining about the "big" questions. Where do we come from? Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? What happens after we die? Of course these questions have specific answers. Depending on your worldview (i.e. religion), the answers might vary, but when it comes down to it, only one system of thought can be right.

But today we have all these different ideologies which can be applied in different ways. People can use different worldviews with different logical trains to arrive at the same destination. One person's path to God may be paved with drugs, jail, and forgiveness. Another's can be fraught with philosophical debate, agnosticism, and assurance. Yet someone else may come to God via love, mercy, and kindness. But everyone who will come to God eventually does, regardless of the path they take.

As I try to find my own way in my life, as I take steps of faith lit only by a small lamp, I wonder if it's necessary for me to ascribe to any particular philosophy.

Do I have to choose to be a modernist or a post-modernist? Must I select an ethical system? Must I ascribe to a certain denomination's interpretation of Biblical truth?

Or, can I look at the world and say, "This is what seems to be true"? If it aligns with a certain system already in place, that's great. But do I really have to investigate the systems set forth? Or can I find what I believe for myself?

I can go to the grocery store and look at all the different types of bread. I can investigate the ingredients, compare prices, figure out which one is the best deal. I can even choose one at random, and take it home to try it.

Or, I can go home and make my own bread, from scratch. And that bread which I make will probably be very similar to one or two loaves that I saw in the store. It will be unique, but it will still be bread of a particular type. And I will be the more proud of it, because I have made it myself. And it will taste better to me, because it's homemade.

I realize that you can't do this with Truth. That is absolute. But can you do it with worldviews? Must I choose one that has already been set in place? Must I select a pre-fabricated label to put on my shirt stating "This is who I am"?

Or can I be unique? Can I be homemade?

Or should I stay away from bread and just stick to making cookies?