Clues to Our Path

Truth is not a goal, but a path.

We could wish that the whole world were heart-led. Instead, we are blessed indeed just to find one other in our geographic vicinity. For a precious few, this is a natural transition. As soon as you describe it, they recognize it in themselves and run down the path shouting for joy. For most, we have to give them time to adapt.

I leave for others the same clues that brought me here. First, I talk about convictions. In terms of psychology, we might talk about conscience, but that’s just the initial awareness of conviction. Conscience can be adjusted, but convictions are eternal. The mind cannot comprehend conviction, but it does have some hope of discovering what the convictions require in various contexts. Most people do seem to grasp that concept once you discuss it.

The second primary clue is empathy. People generally understand that empathy tends to act like a talent, in the sense that people are born with a native capacity, a variable range that depends on your environment and conscious efforts to develop it. The term introduces the image of discerning others through something other than your five senses and plain logic.

The words alone don’t heal a weak understanding. As with all language, the terms can be used as part of a broader effort to deceive. We can’t simply fix a problem with the right magic words. We have to remember that it really isn’t about us, but God’s divine Presence shining through us with varying degrees of clarity. All we can do with verbal expression is indicate something no words can say. As with everything else, context is what matters most.

So it’s proper for us to suggest we want to win folks over to a heart-led existence, but we dare not assume it’s actually we who do anything of the sort. It’s all we can do simply living that existence ourselves and let God speak through it.