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Thursday, January 14, 2021

Thursday Thoughts...

"The truth was a mirror in the hands of God. It fell, and broke into pieces. Everybody took a piece of it, and they looked at it and thought they had the truth." 

Rumi

I only collected these words in the past month or so, and despite how long ago they must have been written (Rumi being a 13th century poet), how apt they feel in the time we live in.

Part of me is sad that the mirror had to break - but perhaps that adds meaning to the words - the truth is somehow broken now.  Did the internet and social media break the truth?

I often think about our various perspectives in a less broken way - as if through facets on a cut gemstone. each facet offers its own little window onto something and a unique view or perspective of the same thing. Yet the stone remains whole.

The broken mirror is slightly tougher as it suggests to me that what you hold in your hand is partly the truth - and that the truth itself is broken and that is why you only have a fragment of it. It certainly feels less hopeful; that in some ways we can never put the truth back together again.

At the very least, I  hope we can find ways to mend and heal our broken world.


Detail of artwork by Zhao Zhao, seen in Singapore 2019.

6 comments:

  1. (((Fiona))) gathering the broken shards of Rumi's wise words togehter with the silk stitched bullet holes of Zhao Zhao show us a way to heal with hope and kindness and love for our beautiful broken world

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    1. A beautiful response Mo. Somehow the goodness of people with small steps and stitches may mend us yet. Go well.

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  2. these words are new to me, too ... and Zhao Zhao's broken glass the perfect illustration, mirroring the horror of the Capitol siege in DC ...

    sadly, I have to agree with your words:

    "in some ways we can never put the truth back together again"

    but I dare to hope that we will build something new and better in the After Times

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    1. Liz - I love your phrase the After Times. It offers a new way; new beginnings; and recognises that we will have left these times behind. We will build, mend, stitch something new and with good fortune it will shine for a long time. Go well.

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  3. I’ve never heard the word before but they do suggest to me that, as humans, we cannot perceive the whole truth because we always bring our unique perspective to truth. But Zhao Zhao reminds me that there is both beauty and truth in our joining together even when not dispassionately true.

    Thank you for Thursday Thoughts.

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    1. Thank you BobbieAnn for your thoughts too! There is something about mending and stitching that give me hope for the future; the After Times as Liz calls them. I agree that we can't all see the same whole truth - how could we given our different experiences - yet I would like to think that some form of truth can be understood by most of us; that some things simply are true. Fingers crossed! Go well.

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I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.