This
earthly life is towards a higher growth and maturity, something more permanent. The daily
discoveries of the universe are a proof of this continuous expansion of
creation. The least harmonized human understanding of the world is incomparable
with the grandeur of the mysterious universe. It makes little sense to explain this
creative wonder. The differences between our understanding lies in each one’s
different emphasis based on the appearances. Human being are just pilgrims on
this endless journey. Neither history and facts, nor witnesses are going to
fathom the whole story. All will have difficulty
in grasping the reality.
Human
presumptions prevent us from knowing the truth, and this ‘blindness’ is historical, which is always
limited. For example, the Jewish
followers of Jesus thought " he was the one to redeem Israel." But
that expectation is overturned overnight with human discouragement and
dissolution. The transitional time which
is a process, is itself timeless. “The
transitional period until the messianic kingdom, which the Apocalypse seeks to
postpone until the end of time," explains Renaud Silly. In Mark's Gospel,
after the Transfiguration, the disciples "questioned among themselves what
rising from the dead meant" (Mk 9:10). For many Jews of that era, who
expected a general resurrection of all the elects, this idea was indeed strange
- some of them, the Sadducees, did not even believe in the resurrection of the
dead. There is a different order of reality – where the perishable and the
imperishable unite.
There
may be a different order of reality
which we do not know now, but in future
will. The identity of
mortal living beings as man and woman
or animals and insects, as we see
them dying is only a visible reality. The ambiguity of a different kind of body
may be clear in the future too. If time
is timeless at the end, the matter and flesh also transform in identity. That
which is perishable turns into imperishable ( cf. 1 Cor 15:42-44).
Observable
facts or history are not only reliable evidential proofs for mortality. The
credibility of any event is based on to
a multitude of witnesses. But the value of the witnesses can be varied. Only a
summation of all testimonies and observation or tests, give an objective understanding, but strewn with
bit of subjectivity or all of it. For example,
all “visionary experiences, are fundamentally subjective" explains Daniel
Marguerat.[2] Often
hallucination, can give a true
understanding of an unexplained event. Historians
too are not credible in their writings in its totality. They need verification
of the reality in context then.
Similarly,
an excavation finding is not a visible proof of something the excavators
wish to establish (race, culture, etc.) To know the truth, the most important
thing is what is not seen. The basic ground of any observable or analytical
finding is the thesis, a presumption which is proved in the process. The real objective
experience is subsumed in a metaphysical experience, with a leap of ‘faith’ –a
presumed belief. Therefore, as Renaud Silly states, "Sensory vision is not
enough, but signs lead to an understanding.”[3]
What
we humans are doing on this visible earth is solving a puzzle, as far as we can
go, and sometimes various pieces intuitively
fall into place. Often, they are coincidental.
The whole of creations and its
understanding hangs in balance. However
we try to get it partially after few attempts, we will never get the whole secret and the
mystery, because mystery always remains a mystery. The puzzle will remain eternally unsolved.
Knowing
things in its entirety is a constant battle dominated by tensions, an outright
conflict, that opens up a brighter and broader perspective of reality.[4] The turning
point in human history would be realizing this radical novelty; that is, facing
reality, in which this turning point is not visible. Humans face and see the
war, with its destructions and endless conflicts, but reality resists faith in
the unknowing. Oscar Wilde once wrote, “The true mystery of the world is the
visible, not the invisible.” This visible mystery calls us to delve into the
depths of what lies before our eyes. At first glance, it underscores the value
of tangible and observable aspects of reality. Yet, upon deeper analysis and
reflection, it reveals a philosophical interplay between perception and
reality. More than the mystery of the unknown –that which is still hidden from
us – the observable hold greater intrigue. Beyond the layers of familiarity
associated with the visible world, there is an intricate patterns and
interconnected ecosystems, manifested gradually as we pill off what is seen
outside and exploring the inner world. We unveil wonder. However, at the same
time, that which is unseen, the invisible —the mysteries of the human psyche,
cosmic forces, and underlying reality—has captivated human imagination. Plato’s
allegory of the cave and quantum physics exemplify this quest for knowledge
beyond the visible mystery. Therefore, the visible and the invisible are
intertwined in a balance. In order to understand the world, like a painter’s
dimensional shades to create depth, understanding the world requires the
apparent and the concealed aspects of reality. While we depend on the
reliability of our senses, contrary to what Wilde confirms, we care compelled
to question our perception too, because the fuller reality is beyond the realm
of both our senses and perceptions.[5]
We
can only persevere in the evolving reality where everything changes. The law of
engagement is replaced by the law of the unknowing. The deficient ‘WE’ are not the ‘almighty master’
of human history, but God is. Therefore,
a life lived in mystery is the ultimate human endeavor to be pursued upon.
This, of course, will not change the course of historical reality, but place
them in a broader perspective where the hope of a fulfilled life is possible.
[1] Cf. Al-Ghazali, in Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Ghazali, 16.4.2024.
[2] Cf. Guillaume Daudé, The accounts of the
Resurrection in the Gospels, https://international.la-croix.com/pray/the-accounts-of-the-resurrection-in-the-gospels, 7.4.2024
[3] Cf. Guillaume
Daudé, The accounts of the Resurrection in the Gospels, https://international.la-croix.com/pray/the-accounts-of-the-resurrection-in-the-gospels?at_source,
3.4.2024
[4] Cf. Arnaud Alibert, Easter: God's
battle?, https://international.la-croix.com/pray/easter-gods-battle, 7.4.2024.
[5] Cf. Oscar
Wilde: 'The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible,'
in, The Socratic Method, https://www.socratic-method.com/quote-meanings-and-interpretations/oscar-wilde-the-true-mystery-of-the-world-is-the-visible-not-the-invisible, 7.4.2024
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