The Truth is Out There

From yesterday's post: our taste for sweets is unhealthy. But that doesn't mean all food cravings should be resisted. They can also be triggered by the human body's lacking a certain vitamin or mineral. Physical cravings for an orange, for example, may signal a need for Vitamin C.  A desire for chocolate may be attributable to the body's need for antioxidants (at least that's my excuse).

Listening to one's own body is an ancient source of truth. Socrates said that the purpose of life was to "know thyself". We who live in first world countries enjoy material comfort beyond Socrates' imaginings and---I am sure he would say---should devote ourselves to philosophy and other lofty pursuits. But the same society that defeated hunger and childhood disease is filled with distractions, a cornucopia of entertainment and experiences that divert us from the still, small voice.

This Sunday we celebrated Pentecost, one of the three great feasts of the Christian faith. Truth did not reveal itself silently to the apostles gathered in the room. The Holy Spirit came to them on tongues of fire, just as it bowled over Paul as he traveled on the Road to Damascus.  Truth came quietly from within to Socrates and loudly, from without, to the followers of Jesus.

Appropriately, the color of Pentecost is red.