Aligning with Truth
One of my favorite movies is Contact. It’s based on the book by Carl Sagan and stars Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey. I don’t want to give too much away about the movie if you haven’t seen it but it’s essentially about the human race making contact with intelligence from outer space. The connection comes from a radio signal, originally sent by us out into the universe, that is returned to Earth with an embedded blueprint that looks like the plans for an intergalactic transport for a single person. So, with much more to the story, the machine is built but with an added seat that they believe will be helpful. There is a dramatic scene late in the movie where Jodie’s character, Ellie, is strapped into the added seat inside the capsule of the machine. During the launch, the seat begins vibrating uncontrollably. At this moment, Ellie sees a toy compass that she brought with her (more to that story as well) floating weightlessly out in front of her. She realizes that the man-made restraints were a mistake. So, she chooses to trust her intuition and releases herself from her restrictive chair, just before it collapses. This enables her to freely experience the intended purpose of the machine.
This particular scene has resonated with me for years. My take on it is that by not trusting the plan as it was originally sent, they added barriers and complications that were not necessary. In a metaphoric way, I extend this into my life as well. Truth is all around me. How I interact with it is up to me. I can seek to align with it humbly or stubbornly assume that I understand enough already. When I let go of trying to control everything and truly observe the patterns at work around me, I am able to glimpse a deeper process at work.
Truth doesn’t depend on how we perceive it. Just because we believe something, that doesn’t make it true. And not believing in something, doesn’t make it false. The more we try to grasp and hold to our limited and incomplete beliefs, the more truth slips through our fingers. Kind of like trying to hold water. Instead, if we open our minds and hearts to seek truth, we allow truth to become more visible and approachable.
Every day, we get a chance to gather a little more information as to how life works. We always have the opportunity to get curious about the things around us. However, as we become adults, and sometimes sooner, we begin to wall ourselves off from learning and growing for multiple reasons. We choose to hold onto a limited amount of knowledge and experience and declare it to be the absolute whole. But, just like Ellie in the movie, if we can break through the barriers of hindering ideas and attune to the realization that there is always more to learn, we can find a peaceful and meaningful connection to something much bigger than any of us. Are we willing to let go of our self-made boundaries to discover truth in a broader and more profound way?