Discovering Truth

Dieter F. Uchtdorf is the voice of a video, Discovering Truth, that was produced in 2018.  It begins:

It was six men of Indostan

To learning much inclined,

Who went to see the Elephant

(Though all of them were blind),

That each by observation

Might satisfy his mind. . .

Each in his own opinion concludes that the elephant is like a wall, snake, spear, tree, fan or rope, depending upon where they had touched. Their heated debate comes short of physical violence, but the conflict is never resolved.

You know how certain events become pivotal for you.  This was one.  I realized that when we have gospel discussions at church, we are like those blind men.  We each have a piece of truth and we are just sharing the piece we have been given.

Sometimes it feels like all the others in the group are holding on to the trunk of the elephant, so I am afraid to go against the consensus and tell about the piece I am sharing.  But that is exactly when it is so important for me to share.  

After all, my piece comes from a life of discovery - a life that was given to me by the Lord as a part of my education.  It is a part of who I am, of what life itself has taught me.  It takes courage to be vulnerable and share.  

I have to be humble enough to realize that my truth - my experience in life - is just a piece of a larger picture that I have the privilege to share.  It's not about who is right and who is wrong.  It is about sharing our different experiences as we search together for what truth really is.   It's like we are creating a jigsaw puzzle and I am adding my piece.  

“That someone could make a judgment based on one aspect of truth and apply it to the whole seems absurd or even unbelievable,” President Uchtdorf said. “On the other hand, can’t we recognize ourselves in these six blind men? Have we ever been guilty of the same pattern of thought?”

President Uchtdorf concludes:  

“As you accept the responsibility to seek after truth with an open mind and a humble heart, you will become more tolerant of others, more open to listen, more prepared to understand, more inclined to build up instead of tearing down and you will be more willing to go where God wants you to go,” he said.

It's funny that as I have begun to share more freely the piece of the elephant that I am touching, I have begun to enjoy hearing others share their pieces.

Once in a while we may see the whole picture but I personally believe that comes in the next life.