Crystals IV

Zeus’ final trial-6

Zeus: Precisely! Every kind of intelligent species is marginal, and so he has particular abilities and capabilities. On the basis of those, he can approach truth to a certain extent. They can even reach the integrated truth, provided they live in concordance, so that love and peace may rule in their society. They have this right and the ability to achieve it. But that choice of theirs is also their heavy responsibility. If they do not perceive the power of love so that they would take advantage of it, they would keep searching like blind men in the garbage bin or like children playing with pebbles in the sand. But in any case, the true being and the truth that the mortal mankind can perceive are two different things. So, truth is the true being that has been revealed, the part of ‘Being’ that has become known to the mortals, but only to a particular kind of them. But let me clarify this: it is not just knowledge that has been accumulated, it is the learning that has resulted from it. Knowledge and learning are included in the truth, but truth is above all that. So, truth is the framework that allows the true being to be revealed and emerge, based on the mental abilities of a particular kind of intelligent being but limited by their limitations.

Mitis: Since we have mentioned it in passing, please say a few things about the ‘true being’. Does it exist and what is it exactly?

Zeus: True Being truly exists (actuality)! There is no doubt about it regardless of whether it is perceived by the mortals. It is the ‘Being’, the ‘existing entity’, the real and the true. It stands for the deeper and true value of things, what is in actuality, regardless of the extent this becomes perceivable by the intelligent beings, or is presented to be at will. It is the entity that truly exists and truly occurs constantly in the functional universe that cannot be completely perceived. It includes reality and it certainly supersedes it. It could be thought of as perfectly coinciding with the integrated maximal truth, since ‘truth’ is the part of the true being that has been revealed. The True Being (Is) refers to the whole universe and exists, regardless of how it appears in the daily lives of the mortals (phenomenality) and the extent it is understood (reality), is perceived (scientific knowledge) or how large the percentage per se of the true being (truth) actually is. The true being is the universe per se, in substance and complete quintessence.

Mitis: But aren’t those concepts a bit perplexed?

Zeus: Indeed they are! They are not easy to understand or explain! Each must search alone to discover the content of each of those concepts. Whoever is after easy solutions and fitting answers will never come to understand which is which and what the dynamic relationship between them is. But I want to add a few words.

Mitis: Will they clear up all that more?

Zeus: Yes! I believe so. Let us see all that summarily: First, the true being is the truly existing entity. Only the enlightened ones and the philosophers can perceive it to a great extent. It can become perceivable by means of wisdom and prudence. Second, part of the true being emerges as truth. It is what the philosophers and the true scientists perceive to a good extent. It can be perceived through learning and prudence. Third, part of the truth becomes perceivable as reality that the truly thinking people perceive adequately. It can be grasped by means of knowledge and leaning. Fourth, reality is consciously or unconsciously being twisted and perverted by some mortals and is made to appear as a base and wily sort of phenomenality. Phenomenality is part of reality, typically perverted by the mirror of the mind with added fantastic images and foolish or crafty ideations. That is how most mortals perceive reality which is based on opinion, belief and knowledge and that is why it is easily used by mortals. Lack of learning and knowledge is evident in that last case.

Mitis: I can see this has become a bit clearer. So, to recapitulate: phenomenality on the basis of opinion and little knowledge; reality on the basis of knowledge and little learning; truth on the basis of learning and prudence and in the end, the true being on the basis of wisdom, prudence and holistic education that cultivates enlightenment.

Gaia: So then, the ‘true being’ is the integrated universe, the ‘being’; truth is the percentage of the true being that can be perceived by the mortals, part of that integrated truth that has been proven consists scientific knowledge, part of that knowledge is everyday reality which is many times twisted and transmuted into phenomenality, to which each one adjusts his own truth, wishes, desires and needs and crystalized thought.

Zeus: But all the above are but a general guiding image for purposes of orientation. Because there are many gradations among all those that cannot of course be all told here. I hope they will not be misinterpreted! Because condensing weighty concepts can easily lead to twisted meanings when knowledge and learning is lacking from the intelligent being who is discussing them. But mother-Earth Gaia has correctly condensed them!

Mitis: I can see that!

Zeus: Furthermore, perhaps the true being cannot possibly be revealed as truth to the world of the mortals, but if this is at all possible, it could only be achieved through love. Only then will the people have seen the one and only integrated truth. In short, they would have become in a way, gods! In that case, ‘Being’, ‘True Being’, ‘Truth’ and ‘Reality’ would coincide forever. Phenomenality would become pointless and nonexistent for such a society of mortals since love would preclude any wiliness and hypocrisy.

Mitis: I like this image! How beautiful it would have been had it occurred in a society of the mortals. But I think it would be difficult.

Zeus: It would be because all those things require thought, knowledge, study, learning, education, toil, effort and constant patience. Each should always fight against dire need. But careful! After all that, he should just allow himself to flow timelessly into the universe and through meditation be imbued with the one and only truth, the ‘true being’. But there is no such thing as a path to truth that can be shown to exist. It unfolds as the intelligent being or the whole society chooses to tread upon in their quest for the truth. Very few would choose to walk on that path. Daily reality can be achieved by any intelligent being with a little effort he would be willing to put, if he resists slipping into the suspect phenomenality. Then he would be on a good road. But this is the very reason why the common mortal cannot be bothered to do something like that. Phenomenality is something easy but suspect. It shines like the reflection of a mirror and attracts the mortals just like light attracts the moths. In phenomenality they ‘see’ images that suit and satisfy them. But this is painfully catastrophic. This is a fake shine of course, full of lies and untruths, but the mortals will be dazzled and blinded by this counterfeit charm it exerts on them and get trapped in it. They become indifferent about the ‘being’ and the ‘truth’ and deny cruel reality that applies in life. In the end, they accommodate themselves with lies and untruths that appear to be innocuous and simple, but which are in fact fake and obscene. You see, the boundary separating reality from delusion is very thin and quite imperceptible. One can easily slip from reality to phenomenality when he is not after truth. So, the boundary of virtue is also lost. The true measure is lost and good reason is devalued. One needs education to be able to avoid all those traps.

Gaia: Indeed you have exposed all that clearly. We would like you now to tell us something about education, but it can wait for later. You shouldn’t lose track of your thoughts at this point.

Zeus: The reality of the intelligent beings is their thought, individual or collective, all that exists in their mind. That is their conscience! The true being is the existent, the eternal ‘Being’ that exists constantly, regardless of its inner dynamism that makes it shift form all the time. But at every which moment, that ‘being’ is existent. Truth sets the framework that allows the dynamic interaction between reality and the true being by the mortals. That is, through ‘truth’, the ‘true being’ can emerge and reveal itself in reality, even if in fragmentary moments of the sociotemporal period. Finally, ‘reality’ is part of the truth, as it is perceived by the intelligent being.

Gaia: What else would you like to say?

Zeus: Just a few words I would like to add. The ‘true being’ is the integrated truth that is waiting to be revealed. We approach ‘truth’ through reality, while ‘reality’ is the consciousness of the intelligent being (or of a society); ‘consciousness’ refers to the epistemological framework of the intelligent being (or of society).

Mitis admired the erudition of Zeus’ thought which was full of wisdom. As the discourse was going on, Zeus observed that past a particular point, the old sage started appearing again on the middle throne. Sometimes, he felt that the mirage of the old sage was wavering and weakening, which meant that some of his answers might have had some error. But the more Zeus was answering correctly, the more the old sage was fleshed out until when he became fully present in the middle throne, watching him sternly. Before the first circle of trial was completed, the old sage managed to be completely fleshed out. That had to happen!

Gaia: But there is something else I would like Zeus to tell us: Something general that is however important. Which basic values / virtues / principles must an intelligent being possess?

Zeus: Of course if someone has all four main virtues, Wisdom, Prudence, Valor and Justice, there is nothing else you can say, because if those virtues exist, it goes without saying that the other things exist as well. But as concerns the simple, everyday mortals, I would say just six words only: respect, generosity, candidness, education and clemency on a daily basis.

Gaia: But why, pray, do you speak thus?

Zeus: If one walks the path of life with respect in his heart, and so, he possess both respect for others as well as self-respect, he would not allow himself to be shamefully humiliated and he will not cause offense or be offended. If generosity reigns in his heart, he will win over people and they will pay the favor back to him if he finds himself in need. If he functions on the basis of earnest thought / reason / action, people would trust him and honest people will love him. If there is true education in the mind, then he would seek and find answers and solve many problems. Finally if leniency is a daily stance of life, he will keep many around him and he will also be judged if he slips into daily errors.

Gaia: My beautiful, wise grandson, may your words be kept near you at all times. May all the mortals be taught from them, and understand how significant they are if they are to live a beautiful and happy life. A life of rich beauty!

Moved, Gaia and Rhea kept looking admiringly at Zeus holistic beauty standing before them. Mitis could not utter a word, but a tear quickly rolled down her cheek. But immediately she intervened with a question as she did not want to weaken her spiritual clarity because of her feelings. So she immediately asked Zeus:

Mitis: Zeus, true grandson of Gaia, you have offered wise answers but I now remembered something that your grandmother Gaia had said. Something about ‘education’ I believe which was left to be discussed later. So, would you like to tell us what ‘education’ is and how you perceive of it?