The Simplest of Truths

The Simplest of Truths is a blend of essays and stories that focus on spirituality and relationships. It does not fit neatly into any mainstream ideology but instead centers on principles of fair-mindedness and respect as a foundation to traditional morality. While the framework of the book is on the religious side, its tone is less evangelical and more social and philosophic. Its purpose is to help reveal inner peace and kindle a sense of harmony. To press upon everyone the need to create an environment where the spiritual and the physical are in balance and that the individual and the community have a shared commitment and responsibility to the other's wellbeing.

Condensed down to the very basics, the higher awareness we have of ourselves in relation to others and even with the world around us stems from the spiritual gifts we receive from God. Yet, enlightenment does not start until we recognize those gifts and then apply them by embracing three truths: peace, equality, and the sanctity of life. Uncovering the peace at our core is not a simple matter; however, once revealed and then paired with the two mandates, these three truths together have the power to transform our lives, our religions, our politics, and our world.

For each of us, this starts by accepting the peace within, the God within, or maybe just the idea of a connection to a higher conscious and living universe. This spirals outwards from each of us when we embrace the mandates of equality and the sanctity of life. These truths should become the bedrock of our lives. Building upon this, we also need to adopt the principles of respect, honesty, integrity, and wisdom. These are our other defining principles, and these values are the living soil that rests upon the bedrock of the simplest of truths, and out of this fertile soil thrives truth and love. These emanate from the peace within, but they also must exist through the harmony of all our relationships that surround us, in both our social and natural worlds. This is the environment that we are intended to live our lives in, and these virtues challenge us to be better people.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I believe that it is critical that we include our relationship with the environment at the core of a holistic approach to life and faith. Without a caring attitude toward our spiritual, social, and ecological environments, a healthy, balanced lifestyle is not obtainable. So we must also take this one step further and apply the same thoughtful approach that we share with each other and God to that relationship, which we all share with our environment. If we can do this, we can then create a better state of being for ourselves, our societies, the world we share, and ultimately, the world our grandchildren will share.