*God or No God?**
Arguing or discussing opinions and truths often seems pointless, as everyone has them, and some people have many. Opinions can be quite fickle and inconsistent, varying from one day to the next. They should be considered no more than a work in progress—at best, a rarely used pathway to nowhere.
Facts often appear to be little more than a reference to the state of knowledge at a single point in time. Many people give little credence to facts, or they dispute their validity.
The general opinion seems to be that facts offer slightly more value than opinions; however, many die-hard opinion advocates comfortably argue against undisputed facts as if they were merely opinions.
One favourite observation is that truth can only ever be found on the far side of a hypothetical river. It is only on this far bank where any truth lies, and it can only be reached by negotiating selected “stepping stones” of truth.
Every living person has the ability to step safely on certain individual stepping stones. They naturally choose stones that they feel secure and confident in, trusting in their solid foundations.
For instance, if a person can step securely onto the selected stone of ‘faith,’ they would arrive at a different truth on the far bank. This journey can only be completed after all the stepping stones have been securely navigated.
It is logically inconsistent to believe that one could ever reach the same location (or truth) on the far bank without stepping on the same stones that guided another to their location.
If the stepping stone of faith appears insecure to an individual, then finding a different truth on the far bank becomes inevitable.
If we accept that there exists a vast array of stepping stones (or truths) to be discovered throughout an individual’s lifetime, it becomes apparent that many stepping stones may never be stable or able to bear the weight of every individual.
Wobbly stones can cause emotional upset and make the journey to the far side of the river hazardous. There is no final truth to be found unless a person crosses this hypothetical river; this is the only place where any truth can truly be discovered.
Truths are like stepping stones.
You will know one when you see one.