To describe The Way is not an elementary task. I do not think that there is anything more simple than the philosophy of The Way, yet in its simplicity more complicated. The Way started when reason was born in the mind of Adam Edam, as it says in the writings, “When Adam Edam stood upright, walked upon the earth and gained reason, hence was the beginning of the first man.”
The Way is reason and about reason. Through the use of reason coupled with logic, man learns and gains knowledge. Through knowledge, together with reason and logic, fueled by his inquiring mind, man accesses the most fundamental requisite of all that exists, which is factual truth.
Truth varies from person to person according to what each individual either knows or thinks he knows. It cannot be reached from a standpoint of ignorance, but only from a standpoint of knowledge. Therefore your truth is different from someone else's truth, because either you know something that he doesn't, or he knows something that you don't; or perhaps you both know nothing, and profess only that which you believe, therefore coming to your different, and surely wrongful idea of what is truth, because you come to your conclusion from a standpoint of not knowing enough to enable you to make a logical and knowledgeable assessment of fact, with fact being that which is absent due to lack of knowledge, and being the crucial element required to reach a factual truth.
In The Way we accept that we know little as far the great canvas is concerned, but unlike others we admit it, and we are not upset if we are proved to be wrong. If you show me that I am wrong, you also show me what is right; and so do me a favour. This requires factual, provable proof and nothing less. We do not give plausible explanation, and then tell you what we believe in order to convince, as belief is not necessarily fact. When something is provable fact, then it is a fact, not a belief.
We never fight over truth, because if what we fight over is true, then we are fighting for the sake of fighting or to protect the ego, pride or whatever. The truth protects itself, and fighting about it will alter nothing. The truth remains true.
Positive discussion will often take you from one truth to another truth, by expanding your horizons, but the truth remains the truths, if it is factually true.
In truth there is no room for interpretation. Interpretation is a boot with many laces for the evil amongst us to tie many confusing knots in. However, when some people do not like the truth that they face, for some reason or other, or for no reason at all, or perhaps the truth does not suit their purpose, then they will usually use half of it, to make the other half which is untruth, look like truth; and so try to convince you that black is not black nor is it white; its grey or grey-ish, or maybe blackish. When someone wants to destroy something, which happens to us in The Way regularly, half truth is usually used; and truth taken out of context, so that it no longer makes sense, and does not even vaguely represent what we are saying. Nonetheless, sadly it often works, and people’s minds are taken away for what we are saying, away from that which is true, and replacing it with that which is only believed, no matter how unbelievable. It's another way of trying to change the truth.
If someone says that you are a liar because you gave him the wrong time, then he is technically correct, if you told him the wrong time. But taken in the context of the real truth, which was due to the fact that your dodgy watch was wrong, you are not a liar, just someone with a dodgy watch doing his or her best and trying to be obliging to some ignorant moron who jumped to the wrong conclusion from a standpoint of a false sense of self importance, and certainty in his wrongful belief and lack of the understanding of truth.
And why did he jump to the wrong conclusion? Simply because he judges, as we all do, by the workings of his own mind. In context, you told the truth as far as you knew it. You are not a liar, but you watch stands condemned, which is a lot different than you being a liar. Nevertheless the hurt remains, and the stigma that you are a liar remains, because there are those of such mind that believe that there is no smoke without fire. Again, it’s another half truth.
In The Way we search for truth and maintain that which we know to be true as far as we can. We are gatherers, storers, collectors, and protectors of knowledge. That's why the Brotherhoods were formed.
There are those who believe that some knowledge is bad and should be destroyed , because it doesn't suit them. Yet again, they are wrong. There is no such a thing as bad or evil knowledge. There is, however, good and evil in the way that it is used. The good or the evil comes from the mind of the user.
We all seem very “righteous” don't we, as we follow truth? Well we are not. We are human, thankfully, which adds a little colour to us; and to the philosophy we adhere to. We recognize no gods or demons, except the human kind of demon. We have no system of worship, nor do we recognized dogmas of any kind; therefore we are neither a cult or a religion; as this is the exact explanation of both i.e. a number of people with a system of worship, and a recognised deity and a dogma.
The philosophy of The Way is simple. Logic and applied reason equals knowledge, which equals acquisition of otherwise unknown facts. Provable facts equal factual truths; and to live your life by anything less is the ultimate in stupidity.
The Way has been around since the dawn of time; since Adam Edam (first man) stood upright and walked upon the earth. Then did man later invent theories in order to explain that which he could not understand. He then believed his theories simply because he could not think of anything else, because of his lack of knowledge. So did theories become dogmatic beliefs He found the value of belief, and used it to confuse his fellow man, so that he could tell them anything, and so rule them; and so did he also confuse himself. Then he started to do the most stupid thing of all: he started to destroy any knowledge, if it did not suit his purpose. He didn't want to look foolish. He then went to extremes to support his beliefs and theories. He started burning people alive who didn't agree with him or his church or cult, both being the same thing. Whatever that purpose, belief or theory might be, he had to enforce it in order to stay in power and control. He did and still does so, in order to maintain confusion over his fellows, and so protect his power and station over them. The big slide had started and, because it was expedient, power over the hearts of people, through fear and reward, had its evil way.
The earth now stands in great danger. Anyone who is not completely stupid can see that for his or her self. That danger is caused by lack of reason. Men tell you what they believe, but few if any can tell you what they really know, because they either don't know, or they don't want to tell you because they don't want you to know; and around and around we go, so it ends up that nobody knows anything for sure, especially where spirituality is concerned.
Men live and die by what they believe. They go to war because of that which they believe. By the changing of that which they so believe, they excuse that which is really inexcusable. They believe one thing when it suits, and another when it is no longer profitable for them to believe it anymore. Suddenly Limbo does not really exist. Usury is no longer a mortal sin, because we now believe that it is a necessity in our modern society and above all, it’s profitable. Belief is very useful, but only to men without reason or indeed conscience, for it is a fluid thing and it's nice as well. You can believe anything that makes you feel better about yourself. Like the rapist who said that the girl he raped had on a short skirt and was “asking for it”. It wasn't him you see, it was all her fault. And if that pig of a policeman had have been minding his own business and had have been out catching real criminals, he wouldn't be in jail anyway. And so did his lack of reason and his unreasonable belief allow him to remain innocent in his own mind; and he became the victim, but only of his own method of thinking. He learned nothing.
Belief is the biggest cop-out imaginable. It acts as a salve to your troubled minds. It gives you a reason for whatever you do, however false that excuse might be; it becomes misconstrued as reason. You put up with your poverty or your problems because you believe that you will get your reward in paradise, after you're dead, provided that you are a good boy or girl. And by what criteria do you judge whether you are good or bad based only on what you believe? How do others so judge and set the standards for you, and by what right? So belief keeps you quiet, and you go on doing the right thing according to what you believe or by what you are led to believe.
But are the leaders and so called pillars of our societies upon whom we rely to keep our sense of morality, following the same morals as they place on us? Are they being as good as you are, and living by the same moral beliefs as you? Are they waiting for their reward in paradise after they are dead, as you are required to do?
Let’s look at the Roman Catholic priests. They can't really believe that there is a God, or they wouldn't sexually abuse children. The Pope wouldn't be trying to hide it and he certainly wouldn't be hiding priests and nuns who had a hand in the slaughter of all those women and children in Rwanda. I suppose it was OK though, they weren't Roman Catholics, and this all loving God only loves them. The Pope of the time made that clear regarding Croatia during the war there.
The Christian bible says that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of god, which is believed to be paradise. You believe it; and they profess to believe it, but I don't see them throwing any money away to let them pass through. Do you? Getting rid of the ballast to keep them floating upwards? Again, could it possibly be that they don't really believe it themselves?
In The Way we recognize that at times it is necessary to lie in this world of untruth that men have created, in order to stay afloat. I am going to pay for that statement in future if I am ever required to tell “the truth” if that truth proves contrary to what is believed, or doesn't suit. The fault lies with those who try to drown you in untruth, or try to take the truth and alter it to suit their purpose.
We ask that you are as good as you can be, for we know that that is all that you can hope to aspire to. And it might not be half bad. We are not born in “Original Sin”, as some wish us to believe. We are just born the same way more or less, but our genetics make a difference. Our life experience dictates what we know; and what we know dictates what we may become. We ask people to reason and do the best they can with the knowledge that is available to them, that's all, to gain knowledge, to be all that you can be, to the best of your individual ability. To realize that you are more than nothing, and you can make a difference.
The Ozone Layer is disappearing. The Atlantic Conveyor is stopping. There are tons of radioactive waste buried in the ice at the poles, waiting to enter the sea with the melting glaciers. There are millions of people dying from AIDS and other sexually generated and transmitted diseases. Many diseases are becoming immune to antibiotics. The world is teetering on the very brim of disaster. Watch your Discovery and National Geographic programmes. Read and it is all there. Church leaders and politicians know what is going to happen, and yet ask you to believe that all will be well. It won't be.
The Ending of Days, as prophesied by religious men from the distant past, is now being warned of by the scientists of today. You may say “What can one person do?” and you are right. Alone, all you can do is die; but if enough people gather together, then the result will be different. This is The Way. This is what The Way has always been about: reason, knowledge, logic, and provable truth and the gathering together of reasoning minds for strength and protection of that which we will need to stay alive, and against the horrors to come.
Recognise theory to be what it is, and accept it as only that, until it is proved and is fact. Live in the light of reality no matter how harsh these things can be. Knowledge, logic, reason, and fact, are all that you have to save you, the earth, and future generations, from ruin, and most probably from extinction, the ultimate destruction. At this time in men's history, let not stupidity be his final mark, nor empty silence be all that is left of him.
Bob Crosbie
The Son of the Widow
15.4.2010