Weekly Insights: The 3 Stages Of The Journey Into Truth...

According to Arthur Schopenhauer, a German philosopher in the 1800's, "All truth passes through three stages". First comes ridicule, second is violent opposition, and finally, acceptance as self-evidence is the third stage. "The reason for our three stages", says Schopenhauer, "is because of the natural resistance that humans have to the challenging points against what they already trust and believe in". We have to go through a process that allows us to accept that the old beliefs no longer ring true. Once we have the evidence that we need to wrap our minds around the Truth, then we can accept it as a True for us individually.

Ridicule comes when new ideas feel threatening to us as humans. It is much easier to put something down or make fun of something that does not align to what we believe to be True. It takes much more effort to try and understand something in a new way and humble up to our misunderstandings. The ego is always striving to be "right". The idea of re-evaluating any given situation can feel like a threat to our personal beliefs. We have to be open to a bigger picture and more universal viewpoint for that to happen, otherwise we just write it off as ridiculous and absurd.

Violent opposition to a new Truth is our human way of blocking a threatening concept or idea. If our ridicule doesn't stop this new belief from going away, then taking a stand of opposition is the next natural step in the resistance process. Einstein once said, "Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds". It is our limitations that fight for their freedoms to exist until the end. For some people, breaking down these walls can feel like a complete loss of control. This can be scary, as that inner resistance has many different checkpoints. Violent opposition just happens to be the last safeguard before the process of acceptance finally kicks in.

The final stage, acceptance as self-evidence, involves the idea that the majority rules. When the mainstream has embraced something as a Truth, then it becomes much easier to jump on board. It is the tipping scale that allows a closed mind to open just enough to allow this new Truth in. After time, consistency acts like concrete and forms a new mold of Truth that finally becomes the status quo.

All three stages are important in the process of accepting Truths. Imagine if we just accepted everything as Truth. In once sense, we would be free of the energy it takes to resist it or to change something that is fixed. It frees us up to live authentically and in alignment with the moment instead of our deeper beliefs. However, without some discernment, the process of accepting something as a Truth in our lives can work against us when there is deception or darkness trying to take advantage of the situation. This process of merging with new Truths serves a purpose of protecting us on our sacred journey of life. What we believe to our core can shape us, our decisions, and the direction of our lives. The best thing we can do for our wellbeing is to take time to discover what is True for us and not just blindly accept someone else's Truth. Ultimately, the Truth will set us free. Like Galileo Galilei - the renowned Italian astronomer and physicist - once said, "All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them."