Truth (Perception, Reaction, Handling)
“We do not err because the truth is difficult to see. It is visible at a glance. We err because it is more comfortable [to avoid it].” (Alexander Solzhenitsyn)
“Among the weakest things in the world of social relations is the truth. That might seem to be an odd statement. However, the weakness of the truth is the limitations placed upon it by its very nature. It cannot say just anything, nor can it ever pretend to be something that it is not. Those restrictions are not shared by lies. It is the nature of a lie that it can assume any shape required by the objects of its suasion. “Whatever it takes” would be an excellent description of the nature of a lie. America spends roughly $250 billion per year on advertising. The bulk of that effort is not directed towards sharing accurate information – it is the creation of desire. Truth is rarely a controlling factor.” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“Those who consider their Christianity as a religion, whether sectarian or relativistic, inevitably see themselves as somehow superior to others who do not see things as they do. They are convinced that they possess a special calling to convince others of the truth they possess, whether they think they have this truth as a free gift or have discovered it for themselves by their diligent labors. And they understand themselves as called to save all others from the evils from which they themselves are free.” (Father Thomas Hopko)
“The root cause of self-centered conceit is pride: a vaunted confidence in one’s own capacity to determine the truth about life’s issues and purpose…The most important precondition, however, for someone to recognize and discern the truth is humility. Egotism darkens a person’s mind, it confuses him, it leads him astray, to heresy. It is important for a person to understand the truth…” (Dynamis 3/20/2019, St. Porphyrios the Kapsokalivite )
“…many of us fail to appreciate the dynamic interpersonal aspect of prayer. In silence and solitude we must do more than sit quietly and moodily waiting for God to perform for us in a way we would like. Prayer is a time of real relationship—a place where we can find that what may appear to be a foolish waste of time to persons involved in undisciplined activitism can actually be a journey into a deeper encounter with the living God…Only in stillness can the truth be seen.” (Robert J. Wicks)