Vanity of words, vanity of letters

When growing up, I pondered about the alphabet in a philosophical mood already. Consider that the alphabet has some 26 letters. The English words that can be formed with them are documented in the dictionary. So, looking up these words, one 'knows' every English word and is able to form any sentence according to the grammar of the English language. What, I asked myself, could be said at all that is not a mere repetition of what has already been said? After all, each word must be understood, so how could anything new be said with known words? OK, the order of words may be different. Names may change in one story compared to the next. But what - essentially - is new when you say anything? What does it mean that there is something new? The focus on this quirky realisation that nothing is new, at least not in terms of language, gave me the daunting feeling that whatever could be known, is already known. But it was a philosophical consideration.

At that young age, I did not get that it is the truth and that this truth has many consequences.

To find consequences of a certain deduction, one has to dare take the next step. If nothing new can be said, why is there room for arguments, why is there room for misunderstandings, and why does it mean that these misunderstandings dictate that we feel bad about them? Why is there room for these negative aspects, when one would expect the opposite, namely agreement.

If we are in principle capable of telling the truth, then a typical conversation would go like this:

A: [truth 1].
B: I agree, so [truth 2].
A: Ah, yes, and you can vary it like [truth 3].
B: You are so funny, this is what I remember as [truth 4].
A: Hm hm.
B: Eh eh.
[peaceful silence]

Wouldn't it be fair that we would be exchanging truths with eachother and would have to agree all the time? Now, if somebody says that reality is not like this, he is introducing a disagreement. Why? Of course, we have the choice to be true to ourselves or not. But disagreement seems to be a way of dishonesty, on one of the sides. So, I tend to resolve this by keeping in mind that what somebody tells me is the truth as he/she sees it. But some of these views are very different from my own views. It is a challenge, not to take these differences personally, nor to take them as denial of any truth.

Here's where it gets tricky. If the differences of opinion are differences of truth, what is truth? Is truth confusing? It might be, but why would it be? Why can't we agree that we disagree and that both of us hold part of the truth? Does one of the views have to prevail? It isn't possible. Every partial truth that is forced on somebody else is in denial of the truth that is suppressed. This is the nature of partiality. And as time goes by the suppressed truth will gain strength and overthrow what has been forced.

Therefore it is said that truth prevails, because truth is living; its seeds are constantly rooting in people's hearts. That's what the heart is for, as the field of truth seeds. When such a seed of truth has matured into a tree, it becomes visible. If such a tree is cut down, its roots nevertheless stay in the heart. But if a tree is uprooted completely, then there will be room for a different truth. Now, uprooting truth trees is difficult, and there is but one person that can do it. It's you. Nobody else can uproot your truth trees.

Some trees are helping you flourish, other trees are blocking your view or hinder your progress.
So, we become gardeners of our truth trees. Every tree planted in our heart is true, but not every truth is fit for every heart.

Sow courage to uproot the trees that hinder courage. Sow wisdom to uproot the trees of small mindedness. Sow love to uproot trees of hate. Sow abundance to uproot trees of poverty.

How do you want your heart's garden to look like? Start sowing and uprooting if there's something you don't like about it! Nobody can stop you, nobody can help you, nobody can force you. It's all up to you.

Will the fruit be sweet or bitter? Remember that all fruits you'll ever eat are the harvest of the trees you once planted when they were but seeds. Were you careless before? Start sowing care. Were you forgetful before? Start sowing mindfulness. Were you lazy? Start sowing enthusiasm. Were you sad? Start sowing joy.

What's the truth? Is it spelled with five letters? No, those letters are vain, the word 'truth' is vain; the letters just spell a word of five letters, and the word thus spelled is but an indication, a projection, a symbol, with nothing going for it in comparison to other words! Vain are all words, vain are all letters. The concept of truth is not in the word 'truth'. That word is but a seed and how it develops into a tree with sweet fruit depends on the other trees in your truth garden, your heart. The language of truth is a hidden language; it is not taught at home, it is not taught in schools, it is not taught in university; the language of the heart is never taught, but remembered. The fruit of remembrance of this language is faith. Faith is the knowledge of the law of growth of seeds that have been planted in your heart. And faith feeds Life.