Truth Is the Foundation of Goodness and Beauty

We often speak of truth, goodness, and beauty together because the three are linked. Truth is the foundation of goodness and beauty: goodness without truth is hypocrisy, and beauty without truth is sham beauty. The false may win for a time, but in the end it always collapses. The peacock evolved an extravagant tail to attract a mate, yet that tail makes it vulnerable when faced with predators; it is common for people to disguise themselves to achieve some purpose, but once the truth is exposed, the price paid is heavy.

"Truth" is not easy to achieve. Sometimes we adhere to a certain idea or religion that contains erroneous or false elements; we mistake them for truth and use them as the standard by which to judge and demand of others. If others do not comply, we revile, threaten, or even use violence to make them submit. That can hardly be called "truth," let alone goodness or beauty—it is merely ignorance and barbarism.

I believe that when a person believes in something, faith is sincere in the depths of his heart. But this sincerity is in many cases a terrible bigotry, which makes the believer display stubbornness, ignorance, and even violence and ugliness. Much of the world's warfare has been caused by clashes of faith. Before the blood of innocent victims, no faith can claim to be dignified.

Absolute truth may not exist; perhaps human beings can have only the spirit of seeking truth, yet can never actually attain the state of "truth." Erroneous cognition is everywhere—not only do others hold mistaken beliefs, but so do we ourselves. A single leaf before the eye blocks out Mount Tai; human insight is simply that limited. Seeking truth requires a spirit of constant questioning and verification; anything that forbids questioning is not worth believing.

Both conformists and those placed on a pedestal are more or less coerced by the group into speaking falsely. Once a person becomes a member of some group or organization, he loses objectivity; there is always an external force pressuring him to lie. Therefore, seeking truth also means maintaining a healthy independence. We may discuss different viewpoints and ideas with others, but there is no need to ally with them in an organization or team, nor to speak for the interests of others or any group, for interest and truth are often at odds.

Intentional or unintentional, the false is still false. Human understanding of the world has built our system of knowledge. Within this vast system accumulated from antiquity to today, much is dross. Humankind has shown a remarkable spirit of seeking truth: generation after generation, people press forward, constantly questioning and verifying, striving to discard the false and preserve the true. Discarding the false and preserving the true is a long process, because sometimes what we think we have removed as false turns out to be true, while what we preserved as truth is proven false years later.

Seeking truth is an endless process. The Creator is truly marvelous: it has endowed human beings innately with a spirit of truth-seeking, and we always long to uncover the truths of the world. The peoples of the earth, whatever their skin color or ethnicity, are no exception in this regard. It is this tireless spirit of truth-seeking that has created the brilliant civilization of human society.

Of course, the fruits of civilization are often exploited by merchants, swindlers, and politicians, who recklessly tamper with them and use them as props for selling dog meat under a sheep's head. But in the end they, like the peacock, will rely on an extravagant tail to win a mate, only to fall prey to a predator because of that same extravagant tail.