Caedo's Model of Truth

This is an edited version of something else I had on my old MySpace blog. I don't know the exact date, but it's probably at least a year old. I've been struggling with this subject off and on for a while now.

Let's begin with a definition. Truth, as it is used here, refers to an indisputable fact that pertains to life and/or the universe. That said, I have to point out that, indisputable or not, some truths are subjective. Others are transitory. In other words, what is true for one person is not necessarily true for another, and some truths are rendered invalid by changing circumstances. I believe, however, that the following model holds for all cases.

As I see it, there are four types of truth. The first two types are natural truths. They rule the primal, animalistic side of life. The second two types are (wait for it) unnatural truths. These unnatural truths govern the high-minded, civilized aspects of humanity. For the heck of it, I’ve given the four types dramatic-sounding names. It’s probably silly, but the nomenclature makes it all a bit easier to explain. Anyway, the four types are blood, fire, spirit, and reason. I feel that all four types are critical to emotional and/or spiritual development.

Blood is truth of the body. No matter how much we distance ourselves from nature, we share the same set of needs that govern all living creatures. Denying that we have these needs puts us at odds with our own bodies, a struggle that cannot be won. Know, however, that blood is never satisfied. Nature must be appeased, but left unchecked, blood will consume all.

Fire is truth in passion. Fire is the motivating force, the catalyst that allows us to act. Where blood is need, fire is want. Without passion, we grow mentally and physically stagnant, and ultimately we wither and die. On the other hand, too much fire will exhaust us and burn us to ash.

Spirit is truth of the will. Spirit is the understanding of self, awareness of the imperceptible, and the complex relationships between the two. Self-esteem, confidence, and empathy are all reflections of spirit. Neglecting our spiritual development causes us to isolate ourselves out of shame and mistrust. Overindulgence of the spirit leads to hubris and self-righteousness, and we isolate ourselves out of contempt. Either extreme results in the erosion of our humanity.

Reason is truth in law. Reason is the understanding of cause and effect. Where spirit deals with the imperceptible, reason deals with the empirical. It makes life predictable and liberates us from fear. It prevents us from deceiving ourselves and being deceived by others. Untempered reason leads to tyranny, the lack of reason to anarchy.

Each of these categories represents a set of individual truths, understandings of how things are. Over the course of our lives, everything we learn about anything is an aspect of one of the four types of truth. For example, learning to use potholders when taking something out of the oven is reason. Learning how much alcohol or food or sex is too much is blood. Learning effective ways to motivate oneself to exercise is fire. Learning to be comfortable with your imperfections or limitations is spirit. As human beings, we choose much of what we learn, and that is why it is important to be aware of what we currently need to learn.

As an aside, I'd like to point out that natural truths (blood and fire) are inherently destructive while the unnatural truths (spirit and reason) are inherently constructive. The reason I have attributed to this is that nature is cyclical and seeks endings so that the cycle can begin anew. Man, on the other hand, seeks to break cycles to hold onto the present.

In the end, I don't know that creating this model really accomplishes much. It helped me to put some things in perspective and to realize the importance of balance in the pursuit of truth. Maybe I'll put it to practical use in later posts. Maybe not.