Blog #55--Like the Seasons, Things Change
When I wrote my book “It’s a Secret, So Pass It On: a Toolbox For Life,” I was confident everything in it was accurate to the best of my ability to share it. And yet, no more than a couple months passed after publication before I discovered at least one error.
Some of the information I provided in the book came from television documentaries. For instance, a documentary I saw on dragonflies a number of years ago said that, while they are voracious, aggressive predators during their larval stage under water, they do not eat once they are adults flying around above the water. However, a more recent documentary showed a number of adult dragonfly species around the world preying on a wide variety of food sources. To say I was disappointed my book contains this inaccuracy is an understatement.
But upon further reflection, I realize no book can ever be totally accurate. As a group, humans are constantly learning new things, some of which contradict previous perceptions. Scientists make new discoveries daily, and dedicated photographers and cinematographers are gaining access to a much larger and more diverse world than previous generations could ever imagine. Their combined discoveries shine a new and more accurate light on previously hidden subjects. We must adapt our perspectives as this occurs.
Finding out that Earth is not the center of the Universe took thousands of years for the general public to accept, and other discoveries have taken lengthy periods of upheaval before acceptance. Perhaps there are species of dragonflies that don’t eat as adults. Maybe they all do, but the scientists responsible for the documentary I saw originally didn’t know this. Or perhaps I heard or remembered them incorrectly.
Regardless, I am truly sorry for the mistake. Hopefully, most realize there are exceptions to every rule on Earth. My intent was to be accurate, so hopefully I will be forgiven for any errors found in my manuscript.
The same is true for holy books. I know, I am a blasphemer for even suggesting any religious book believed to be literally true could possibly have a few errors, but more is being learned all the time. Despite lengthy tomes written to discredit earlier versions of these books, plus massive book burnings over the centuries, books that have been hidden for millennia are occasionally found in their original forms.
For example, the “Dead Sea Scrolls,” the “Nag Hammadi Library,” plus a few ancient biblical references which predate and conflict with presently accepted mythology continue to be discovered. Which of the writings are divine, and which are changed over time, intentionally or through mistranslations into various languages?
Many claim to know “the truth” with certainty and don’t let additional facts interfere. Perhaps there is value in such absoluteness, but if they are going against the current of time, they may eventually be tumbled onto the rocks of pain and confusion when their views are no longer acceptable to the majority. Since there is only relative truth within the limits of three-dimensional perception, absolutism is a formula for guaranteed misunderstanding. Whether it is religious beliefs, scientific assumptions, news reports or general gossip, we must always be willing to adapt our perceptions as we discover more about ourselves and our world.
The truth is, some people are not on a moral high ground when they write books, perform research or share their perceptions of reality with the masses. Some have dark ulterior motives designed to divide and conquer whole populations of people. It isn’t always possible to distinguish one from another, despite our best intentions.
Some people are master deceivers, and they live within our midst. We could become totally devoted to a charismatic leader intent on doing the exact opposite of his or her glowing oratory. Let me site just one small example of how things can become changed for the worse over time.
The three volume set called “A Course In Miracles” became somewhat of a publishing phenomenon. By now, it may have sold in excess of a million copies despite minimal advertising. I bought a copy back in the late 1970s, and it took me four years to read it. At first, I was disturbed by some aspects because they differed from my world view. I was writing things in the margins like, “This can’t be right.”
However, as I kept reading I found information that I knew was accurate. I had been studying the ego for some time, so the information about the ego’s role in limiting our awareness made perfect sense to me. It encouraged me to keep reading. The discussions about the ego provided excellent background and credibility for the descriptions I shared about it in my book.
Study groups formed around the book, and many people began to benefit from its lengthy but often beautiful messages. Giving further credibility to the work, the woman who wrote it refused to put her name on it because she said she simply took dictation. She heard the entire book of more than 1000 pages in her mind and then typed it out.
She asked the voice in her head why a Jewish woman should be writing about comments supposedly attributed to Jesus, and she heard back, “because you will do it.” So she completed the work, and sales of the book continue despite others’ best efforts to modify or destroy it.
One of our bookstore customers, a self-absorbed rich woman with arrogance to match her bank account, attended one of the book’s study groups. She loved the poetry of the book, but she didn’t like the ego discussions (no surprise to those who knew her since they exposed her manipulative nature). She actually wrote the publisher, demanding it eliminate all the ego material from the book to make it “better.”
She wasn’t able to affect changes in the book, but what if she had been more influential with the publisher? What if the publisher depended on her financial support to keep the book in print? Or, what if someone like her was in that position? Many books get changed for that reason alone. Fortunately, the book remains in its original form. She quit the study group.
There are those who will discredit my book due to the dragonfly error alone, throwing out all the accurate information under the assumption one error must prove the entire book is inaccurate. Any port in the storm, as the saying goes. But in reality, no book can stand the test of time without some errors popping up as we learn more. And there are plenty of people who will attack the author or try to modify the content simply to prevent truth from being learned.
The best suggestion I can make to those who sincerely seek the truth of their existence is this: keep learning, but be prepared to adapt your perspectives as the human race continues to juggle truths and lies. Eventually, we will all find the perfect balance, and Absolute Truth will seep through. At that point, we will be one with our spirit and the Universe as a whole, and our search will finally be worth the effort.
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Comments and questions can be directed to dreamtime@insight-books.com.