Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Absolute Uncertainty

I have been thinking a lot lately. Okay, let's be honest here. I think a lot, all of the time. It's sort of a curse really. Anyhoo, my thoughts of late have pertained to absolutes and if there is any such thing.

It seems to me that the more I examine things that seem to be of an absolute nature, there are always circumstances that factor in. Hard and fast rules are easy to come by, but for every rule there is an exception.

In math, you have variables. 2+2=4, but what if it's 2 half apples + 2 whole apples, then you would have 3 apples, not 4. Science is subject to all sorts of things, whether the "powers that be" want us to know that or not. Religious beliefs and practices are certainly seen differently by each individual, even within the same umbrella of general guidelines. Education means something different to most people I know. Add qualifiers such as well, higher, or equal into the education mix and you could have a lively debate that would last until the end of the earth as we know it.

Freedom, agency, social justice, all of it is subject to ones experiences, practices, beliefs, and systems of government. How do we live in a world where everything is relative and maintain our beliefs while not trampling on those of others? Maybe most of us aren't trampling but it's seen as such.

Maybe the point is to do as the Savior did; live what you know, uphold it to the best of your ability (and hopefully get better and better at it as time goes on), and be kind to everyone. Of course then we would need to have a discussion about what being kind means. Tis another post entirely, for sure.

The one thing I am absolutely certain of is the relativity and subjectivity of all things to God's infinite wisdom. If not, then what are we all doing here anyway?